The Excellence of Play

This second edition of "The Excellence of Play" encapsulates all the many changes that have taken place in early childhood in the last ten years. Whilst retaining its original message of the vital importance of play as a tool for learning and teaching for children and practitioners, it consolidates this further with current evidence from research and practice and links the most effective practice with the implementation of recent policies. Its intention is to support all those who work in early childhood education and care in developing and implementing the highest quality play experiences for children from birth to middle childhood. All the contributors are real experts in their fields and all are passionate about the excellence of play. Many new contributions appear since the first edition, particularly related to the Foundation Stage curriculum, profiling, parents, birth-to-three year olds, rough and tumble play, transitions, special educational needs and outdoor play, but the importance of curriculum and assessment is retained and extended.; The book will stimulate and inform the on-going debate about play through its powerful - and on-going argument - that 'a curriculum which sanctions and utilizes play is more likely to provide well-balanced citizens of the future as well as happier and more learned children in the present'. The features of this book which are new to this edition include: many new contributions and well-known early years writers/researchers; children as social and active agents in their own play; more background to current research on play theory and practice; practitioners' roles in play; adults' enabling of play; play and links with Foundation Stage and FS Profile/legislation and policy; and, KS1 links (and beyond ). The features also include: outdoor and physical play, including rough and tumble; gender differences; play and observation/assessment; special Educational Needs and play; parents' perspectives on play; and, child development links and play.; These additions very much reflect the current situation in early years education where the roles of practitioners, parents and children themselves are receiving high focus, particularly in relation to the FS and KS1 curricula and its assessment, and the heavy emphasis now placed on outdoor play, special needs and gender issues. Contributors include: Lesley Abbott, Si n Adams, Angela Anning, Pat Broadhead, Tina Bruce, Tricia David, Dan Davies, Bernadette Duffy, Aline-Wendy Dunlop, Carey English, Hilary Fabian, Rose Griffiths, Nigel Hall, Stephanie Harding, Jane Hislam, Alan Howe, Helen Jameson, Neil Kitson, Ann Langston, Janet Moyles, Theodora Papatheodorou, Linda Pound, Sacha Powell, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Peter K. Smith, and, David Whitebread.