Place, Pedagogy and Play connects landscape architecture with education, psychology, public health and planning. Over the course of thirteen chapters it examines how design and research of places can be approached through multiple lenses – of pedagogy and play and how children, as competent social agents, are engaged in the process of designing their own spaces – and brings a global perspective to the debate around child-friendly environments. Despite growing evidence of the benefits of nature for health, wellbeing, play and learning, children are increasingly spending more time indoors. Indeed, new policy ideas and public campaigns suggest how children can become better connected with nature, yet linking outdoor space to pedagogy is largely overlooked in research. By focusing on three themes within these debates, place and play; place and pedagogy; and place and participation, this book explores a variety of angles to show that best practice requires dialogue between research disciplines, designers, educationists and psychologists, and a move beyond seeing the spaces children inhabit as the domain only of childhood professionals. Through illustrated case studies this book presents a wider picture of the state of childhood today, and offers practical solutions and further research avenues that promote a more holistic and internationally focused perspective on place, pedagogy and play for built-environment professionals. Chapter 12 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

This book explores the significance of play for young children. It includes an appendix on Montessori education.

Published long before the importance of early childhood education was formally recognised in the educational landscape this book explores the significance of play for young children. The volume includes an appendix on Montessori education.

Originally published in 1927, this was a book written specially for teachers and parents, based upon the writer’s practical experience and research. It deals with the fundamental importance of play in the child’s development and as a basis for all education. A set of 74 games, arranged by Miss Amy Whateley, is appended, in four groups according to the four play periods of childhood. Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.

This book examines the increasing popularity of creativity and play in tertiary learning, and how it can be harnessed to enhance the student experience at university. While play is often misunderstood as something ‘trivial’ and associated with early years education, the editors and contributors argue that play contributes to social and human development and relations at a fundamental level. This volume invalidates the commonly held assumption that play is only for children, drawing together numerous case studies from higher education that demonstrate how researchers, students and managers can benefit from play as a means of liberating thought, overturning obstacles and discovering fresh approaches to persistent challenges. This diverse and wide-ranging edited collection unites play theory and practice to address the gulf in research on this fascinating topic. It will be of interest and value to educators, students and scholars of play and creativity, as well as practitioners and academic leaders looking to incorporate play into the curriculum.

Based on extensive research, and grounded in everyday classroom practice, the authors of this book explore important issues surrounding play in the early years curriculum. The book presents children’s views on, and response to their role-play environment, alongside examples of good classroom practice, and addresses vital questions such as: Will structuring role play replace children’s own attempts to create scenarios that grow out of their interests and relationships? Has an over-emphasis on subjects like literacy and numeracy eclipsed the important processes inherent in children’s social play? How we can ensure that provision for role play fully benefits all young children? Critically, the authors present the child’s perspective on play in schools throughout, and argue firmly against a formal, inflexible learning environment for young children. This book will be fascinating to all students on primary education undergraduate courses and early childhood studies. Researchers and course leaders will also find this book a ground-breaking read.

The education system does not always promote or give primacy to play within the curriculum, yet research and policy alike acknowledge the importance of play for children and young people. Empowering Play in Primary Education addresses this issue, contributing innovative ideas about how teachers, teaching assistants and children may incorporate play within the classroom while also advocating for its use as a powerful tool for ensuring successful learning outcomes. Packed with imaginative ideas and practical suggestions, this essential book combines theory with tried and tested practice to encourage and inspire teachers to make use of the pedagogy of play and enhance their children's learning experience. Topics explored within the book include but are not limited to: Playful enquiry exploring the relationship between academic research and practitioner wisdom; Practices of play within different settings; Inclusive practice for play in the primary school; Designing a high-quality, low-cost model for play in the Early Years; Play within the wider school community, e.g., playful leadership and pedagogy as play. This is an essential read for any teacher, teaching assistant, headteacher, senior leader or policy maker who wishes to embed more opportunities for play within their curriculum and school.

This edited book provides an overview of unstructured and structured play scenarios crucial to developing young children’s awareness, interest, and ability to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in informal and formal education environments. The key elements for developing future STEM capital, enabling children to use their intuitive critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and promoting active citizenship and a scientifically literate workforce, begins in the early years as children learn through play, employing trial and error, and often investigating on their own. Forty-seven STEM experts come together from 16 countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, and the USA) and describe educational policies and experiences related to young learners 3–4 years of age, as well as students attending formal-nursery school, early primary school, and the early years classes post 5 years of age. The book is intended for parents seeking to provide STEM activities for their children at home and in playgroups, citizen scientists seeking guidance to provide children with quality educational activities, daycare practitioners providing educational structures for young children from birth to formal education, primary school teachers and preservice teachers seeking to teach preschool, kindergarten or children typically aged 5–8 years old in grades 1–3, as well as researchers and policy makers working in science didactics with small children.

Play has always been vital to the field of early childhood education, for teacher educators and early years teachers, as a pedagogy and way of organizing learning. With diverse perspectives from scholars around the world, Teacher Education and Play Pedagogy is a unique text focusing on teacher education for play pedagogy and uniquely blends research and praxis on authentically implementing play practices. This book is divided into two main sections: part 1 unfolds the different ways in which teacher educators have been preparing early years teachers to support children’s play and consider professional preparation for a play pedagogy; part 2 provides information on how teachers take on different roles, act in diverse ways to effectively support children to develop play skills, to learn and develop. With contributions from across the early childhood spectrum, researchers present their empirical work through multiple forms of data with deep reflections and critical stances towards the play pedagogy implementation. Teacher Education and Play Pedagogy is a valuable text for early childhood education undergraduate and graduate courses, for early childhood education researchers, as well as an essential reference for professional development programs and seminars.

This text provides a comprehensive analysis of historical archives, letters, and primary sources to offer unique insight into how Fröbel’s pedagogy of kindergarten and play has been understood, interpreted, and modified throughout history and in particular, as a consequence of it’s adoption in the US. Tracing the development, modification, and global spread of the kindergarten movement, this volume demonstrates the far-reaching impacts of Fröbel’s work, and asks how far contemporary understandings of the kindergarten pedagogy reflect the educationalist’s original intentions. Recognizing that Fröbel’s pedagogy has at times been simplified or misunderstood, the book tackles issues caused by translation, or transfer to non-German speaking countries such as the US, and so demonstrates how and why contemporary research and Froebelian practice is in the danger of diverging from the original ideas expressed in Fröbel’s work. By returning to original documents produced by Fröbel, Wasmuth traces various interpretations, and explains how and why some of these understandings established themselves in the context of US Early Childhood Education, whilst others did not. This insightful text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics, professionals and policy makers in the fields of early childhood education, history of education, Philosophy of Education and Teacher Education.