The Excellence of Play
1. Play and the legislated curriculum by Angela Anning
2. Starting with play: taking play seriously by Janet Moyles
3. Brain development and play by Celia O'Donovan and Val Melnyczuk
4. Play with children from diverse cultures by Karen Barr and Penny Borkett
5. Reconfiguring play: material feminist possibilities to reimagine gender in early childhood by Jayne Osgood
PART 2: Play is learning
6. Babies as musicians, artists and scientists by Peter Elfer
7. Hunting and gathering: two distinct forms of learning from play by Rod Parker-Rees
8. Play beyond the Foundation Stage: play, self-regulation and narrative skills by David Whitebread, Helen Jameson and Marisol Basilio
9. Friendship, culture and playful learning in early childhood education by Pat Broadhead and Liz Chesworth
10. Young Children as Researchers in Play by Jane Murray
Part 3: Playful pedagogies
11. Re-establishing early years practitioners as play professionals by Justine Howard and Pete King
12. Permission to Play by Kathy Goouch
13. Developing play pedagogy through critically reflective practice Sue Rogers and Chris Brown
14. Work or play: How children learn to read the signals about activity type in today's early years provision by Jan Georgeson and Jane Payler
15. Personalising Transitions: How play can help 'newly-arrived children' settle into school by Hilary Fabian and Aline-Wendy Dunlop
Part 4: Playful curricula
16. Creative representation: Young children developing flexibility of thinking as they engage playfully with media and materials by Kathy Ring
17. In tune with play by Linda Pound
18. Adventurous Play Outdoors by Helen Tovey
19. Playful explorations and new technologies by Nicola Yelland
20. Mathematics and the ecology of pretend play by Maulfry Worthington
21. Play, Literacy and Language Learning by Helen Bradford
22. Children's fantasy role play – why adults should join in by Neil Kitson
Part 5: Play is universal
23. Play and the achievement of potential by Karen Barr and Lynne Truelove
24. International dimensions of play and transitions by Sally Peters
Endpiece: by Tina Bruce
The emphasis remains firmly on demonstrating the excellenceof play and its contribution to children's overall learning and development in the early years, and the role of adults in promoting inspirational playful pedagogies.It offers new coverage on topics such as brain development, gender, babies’ play, cultural diversity and inclusion, children as researchers, new technologies, outdoor play and international dimensions.
Key features include:
Lively and meaningful cameos to help bring the themes andissues to life
Content drawing on the cameos to help link research, theory and practice
Reflective questions to raise awareness of, and reflection on, the issues raised
Useful websites and further reading
This is a must-read book for all students studying early childhood at a range of levels and practitioners who are looking to deepen their understanding of play and playful practices.
"Janet Moyles's 'The Excellence of Play' has become a corner-stone of Early Childhood Education and Care. Please, please someone, make this book compulsory reading for MPs and policy wonks."
Tricia David, Emeritus Professor, Canterbury Christ Church University
"'The Excellence of Play' is now in its 4th edition and this is testimony to how thought-provoking an edited collection it continues to be. This much anticipated new edition does not disappoint:in summary, this book is a valuable contribution to the field of Early Childhood Studies and should be considered essential reading for students and practitioners alike."
Dr. Deborah Albon, London Metropolitan University
"This new edition of a classic text offers encouragement as well as information to all working with young children and their families. It provides grounded evidence for the importance of play, spelling out the complex but crucial contribution it makes to self-regulation, motivation and well-being, which are under threat in current conditions. Readers will be equipped to affirm and disseminate the importance of ensuring that future generations benefit from meaningful play."
Wendy Scott, President TACTYC
"The book's contributors do justice to the delights, complexities, puzzles and imponderables of play and make a powerful case against the undue "schoolification" of childhood and for the "playification" of schooling."
Colin Richards HMI(retired) Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Cumbria