A Mandate for Playful Learning

A book review by Shannon Riley-Ayers in a recent issue of Preschool Matters, a publication of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) caught my eye today. The review calls  A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool: Presenting the Evidence (Oxford University Press ISNB 0-19538-271-4) by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Laura E. Berk and Dorothy G. Singer, a “convincing book” and a “valuable read” for several audiences including parents, who she says will find it “an eye-opener to the value of play and the critical role that make-believe play has in developing a child’s competencies, both academic and social emotional.”   Riley-Ayers review points out that in the final chapters of the book the authors offer recommendations for policy and practice arguing  that providing opportunities for play and using a playful learning approach prepares lifelong learners who become capable citizens who work together, generate ideas, and synthesize and evaluate information because of the attention to both academic and social competencies.

If you would like to see playful learning in action, we invite you to visit any of the seven Day Nursery early care and education centers in Indianapolis.