Description
Play Is Important Work
As an early childhood educator, you know
how important play is for young children. You also know that selecting the
right play materials to include in your program matters; there are so many
options, and often your budget does not stretch to cover everything. With this
book, discover ideas for both familiar and new play materials and how those
materials support the cognitive, social and emotional, and physical learning
and development of children from birth to age 3.
This practical, easy-to-read resource
- Presents foundational information organized
around the who, why, how, and what of using play materials to support very
young children's learning and development
- Provides suggestions for play materials
and describes why they are useful for different aspects related to each
learning and development domain
- Includes safety considerations and tips
on a range of topics, including climbing, choking hazards, and interacting with
animals
- Recommends more than 75 children's books
that go hand-in-hand with each learning and development domain
With a thoughtful selection of
appropriate play materials, you can enhance the quality of your program by
creating an environment and providing experiences that enable all children to
thrive.
About the Author
Mary Benson McMullen, PhD, is professor of early childhoodeducation at Indiana University (IU), where she has been on faculty since 1993.She received a BS from Michigan State University and earned MS and PhD degreesin child development from Florida State University. During and after hergraduate education, she worked as a teacher of infants, toddlers, andpreschoolers and then as an early childhood program director, before acceptingher position at IU. At IU, she teaches courses to preservice and in-serviceearly childhood teaching professionals, as well as to doctoral students whoplan to become early childhood teacher education scholars. Mary's primaryresearch interests involve factors that influence quality early care andeducation for infants and toddlers; the healthy overall growth, development, learning, and well-being of young children (birth through age 5); teachingbeliefs and practices across cultures and contexts; and factors that influenceand ensure the well-being of professionals who care for young children. She haspublished dozens of articles for both research and teaching journals, as wellas numerous book chapters. She is coeditor of the 2019 book The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Careand Education. Mary lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where she and her husbandof 40 years raised their three sons.Dylan Brody (they/them), MSEd, is a doctoralstudent at the University of Georgia. They are currently the graduate researchassistant for the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, with a focuson critical studies. Dylan began working as a full-time teacher with infantsand toddlers in 2010 and fell deeply in love with the complexity of teachingyoung children. They worked collaboratively with a coteacher in a setting thatutilizes a continuity of care model, providing Dylan the space and supportneeded to build intimate and meaningful connections with children and theirfamilies over the course of a three-year cycle. This time allowed them tocreate a more deeply reflective teaching practice and mindful rapport withfamilies through daily moments of trust building. Dylan's primary research andteaching interests focus on ethics, equity, critical theory, mindfulness, andadvocacy for fellow teachers who experience marginalization. They prioritizecare practices and policies that allow all members of the community to feelsafer to be themselves and challenge the barriers in place that might preventsuccess for all. Dylan hopes to work more closely in the future with earlychildhood teachers in the LGBTQ+ community and to further advocate for transvisibility and representation in the field. Dylan currently lives in Athens, Georgia, with their beloved cat, Bean.
