Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Play, Development, and Early Education, challenges the reader to discover what play is and how to incorporate it into a curriculum for children from toddler-hood through the primary grades. Utilizing three major ideas, the quality of play in early childhood, play as a means of self-expression, and play as a channel of communication to achieving social sense. The authors examine the beliefs, perspectives, and theories relating to play and what effects culture, media and technology have on play. In addition, the text addresses the role of parents in supporting and elaborating play, the direct connections between research and play practice, and the value of play in relation to the total development (cognitive, affective, emotional, social, and physical) of all children.