Resources - DeCID

The Development of Play

The book explores the central role of play in childhood development. David Cohen examines how children play with objects, with language, and most importantly with each other and their parents. He explains how play enables children to learn how to move, think, speak and imagine, as well as to develop emotionally and socially. The book…

Publication year: 2006
Content Type: Book

Six Cultures: Studies of Child Rearing

This book draws on research conducted in the USA, the Philippines, Mexico, Japan, India and Kenya, to see how child rearing differs in different cultural contexts. One finding is that the way in which parents engage with their children during play differs across cultures.

Publication year: 1963
Content Type: Book

Resurrecting Free Play in Young Children: Looking Beyond Fitness and Fatness to Attention, Affiliation, and Affect

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate why play, and particularly active, unstructured, outdoor play, needs to be restored in children’s lives. We propose that efforts to increase physical activity in young children might be more successful if physical activity is promoted using different language—encouraging play—and if a different set of outcomes are emphasized—aspects…

Publication year: 2005
Content Type: Academic paper

Restoring Playfulness: Different Approaches to Assisting Children Who Are Psychologically Affected by War and Displacement

This book is divided into two parts. The first part provides an overview of key themes and issues related to refugee children including their experiences, the importance of culture, play, parenting and school for their recovery, the need for timely intervention and strategies to achieve maximum impact. The second part presents seven case studies conducted…

Publication year: 1996
Content Type: Book

Restorative Experience, Self-Regulation, and Children’s Place Preferences

We examined the role of restorative experience and self-regulation in the formation of place preferences by Finnish children. Girls and boys aged 8-9 or 12-13 and living in downtown Tampere or Helsinki answered open- and closed-ended questions in a structured interview. One or both parents completed a questionnaire. We did not find statistically significant associations…

Publication year: 2002
Content Type: Academic paper

Qualitative Research on Children’s Play: A Review of Recent Literature

This book chapter is a review of the recent, English-language qualitative research on children’s play. It focuses on the place play has in children’s experience and giving sense to the world. Thus, it will leave aside the large and important body of research on the effect or outcomes (benefits and possible harmful consequences) of play…

Publication year: 2007
Content Type: Book

Playwork Theory and Practice

This book brings together theoretical perspectives and practical advice to improve playwork practice. There are chapters on the role of adventure playgrounds; the challenge of starting a playwork section in a local authority; and the value of networking.

Publication year: 2003
Content Type: Book

Play, Learning and the Early Childhood Curriculum

The Third Edition of this popular book reflects contemporary research as well as thinking about the role and value of play in learning and development, within and beyond early childhood. The author explores recent developments across international contexts which endorse play, and argues for critical engagement with some aspects of policy discourse in how ‘educational…

Publication year: 2013
Content Type: Book

Play Reconsidered: Sociological Perspectives on Human Expression

In this book, rather than viewing play simply as a preoccupation of the young and a vehicle for skill development, Thomas S. Henricks argues that its a social and cultural phenomenon of adult life, enveloped by wider structures and processes of society. In that context, he argues that a truly sociological approach to play should…

Publication year: 2006
Content Type: Book

Play in Early Childhood

This book is written in Arabic and provides an overview of play theories as well as some examples of play and play provision in Lebanon.

Publication year: 2006
Content Type: Academic paper

Play as Children See It

The first section considers studies that ask children the seemingly simple question: What happens when you go to school? Of interest is whether play enters into children’s school scripts and, if it does, where it goes. Do children’s responses reveal their emotional and motivational judgments of schools and, if so, how are these judgments expressed?…

Publication year: 2006
Content Type: Book

Hack Our Play

Hack Our Play (HOP) is Singapore’s first participatory, community-built play space. It is an initiative that lets children, educators, and parents co-create their very own play space, from start to finish. Together, they will be able to conceive, create and curate a safe and unique play experience while also fostering stronger bonds, greater community investment…

Publication year: 2020
Content Type: Toolkit

Early Years Play and Learning: Developing Social Skills and Cooperation

This book provides a framework for observing and assessing children’s learning through play. It is meant to help early years practitioners to deepen their understanding of the links between intellectual development, the growth of language and the emotional well-being of young children.

Publication year: 2004
Content Type: Book

Using Cross-Cultural Conversations to Contextualize Understandings of Play: A Multinational Study

The study examines two researchers’ perspectives on play in the lives of children from diverse cultural contexts. Two questions guided this study: (1) how do researchers conceptualize children’s play and (2) what shapes their understanding of play. In order to answer these questions, a critical discourse was established between two researchers who had each completed…

Publication year: 2017
Content Type: Academic paper

War, Conflict and Play

This book provides an overall view of the impact of war and displacement on children and their development. It notes that children can be affected by direct exposure to conflict but also by indirect factors such as the emotional state of their carers. While play can have a hugely positive effect on children’s development and…

Publication year: 2005
Content Type: Book

Children’s Play, Well-Being and Involvement: How Children Play Indoors and Outdoors in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care Institutions

In this article, we report on a Norwegian study exploring the relationship between children’s play, well-being, and involvement, and identify how children play in indoor and outdoor environments at their early childhood education and care (ECEC) institution. In this quantitative study, structured video observations (960 two-minutes sequences) of 80 free play sessions (indoors and outdoors)…

Publication year: 2019
Content Type: Academic paper

Beyond Banning War and Superhero Play: Meeting Children’s Needs in Violent Times

This article details reasons for children’s fascination with war play, and teachers’ concerns about such play. It asserts that although the best strategy is to reduce the amount of violence children see, children need to find ways to work out the violence they do see. It also offers suggestions for addressing children’s violent play, including…

Publication year: 2003
Content Type: Academic paper

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