Play is serious business. Whether it's reenacting a favorite book (comprehension and close reading), negotiating the rules for a game (speaking and listening), or collaborating over building blocks (college and career readiness and STEM), Kristi Mraz, Alison Porcelli, and Cheryl Tyler see every day how play helps students reach standards and goals in ways that in-their-seat instruction alone can't do. And not just during playtimes. "We believe there is play in work and work in play," they write. "It helps to have practical ways to carry that mindset into all aspects of the curriculum." In Purposeful Play, they share ways to: optimize and balance different types of play to deepen regular classroom learning teach into play to foster social-emotional skills and a growth mindset bring the impact of play into all your lessons across the day. "We believe that play is one type of environment where children can be rigorous in their learning," Kristi, Alison, and Cheryl write. So they provide a host of lessons, suggestions for classroom setups, helpful tools and charts, curriculum connections, teaching points, and teaching language to help you foster mature play that makes every moment in your classroom instructional. Play doesn't only happen when work is over. Children show us time and time again that play is the way they work. In Purposeful Play, you'll find research-driven methods for making play an engine for rigorous learning in your classroom.

If you are a family or educator with a toddler or young child then you have come to the right place. This book will teach you how to convert play and everyday routines into activities that are both fun AND beneficial for a child’s speech and language development. With little tweaks to your interactions and the everyday routines you are already engaging in, you can increase opportunities for learning and growth for your child. This best part is it’s not a lot of extra work. In the Playing With Purpose book you will learn: The basics of language development Why play is important for a child’s growth in the early years How children learn during play and familiar routines Tips for boosting speech and language skills during play Tips for boosting speech and language skills in everyday activities

Describes play workshop experiences that give educators a deeper understanding of play-based learning and illustrate the power of play.

Purposeful Play for Early Childhood Phonological Awareness provides 70 activities designed to help students detect and manipulate the sounds of language. Whether through singing songs, engaging in role-playing games, or tossing balls of yarn, every activity provides fun ways for children to interact with language and one another while offering explicit support for developing phonological awareness. Use fun, engaging activities, grouped according to phonological skills, that build sequentially and reinforce previously learned skills while introducing new skills. Address how to isolate sounds in words so young children can hear and recognize individual words, syllables, initial sounds, rhymes, and phonemes. Pronunciation guides give explicit instruction so that all sounds are correctly articulated.

Play is an important vehicle for learning in the early years. With intentional planning frameworks, this resource provides teachers with tools and strategies to organize and develop curriculum around high-level, purposeful play. Practical application techniques help teachers create a cycle of planning and observation as they use a play-based curriculum to help young children thrive in the classroom. Gaye Gronlund is an early childhood education consultant who trains early childhood educators across the country. She is the author of six books.

A practical book for teachers consisting of 10 YC and TYC articles on the importance of integrating rich content-based, teacher-guided instruction with meaningful child-centered play to nurture children's emerging capabilities and skills.