Preschoolers at Play: Choosing the Right Stuff for Learning and Development

by Lisa Mufson Bresson, Megan King

Overview

Playing Is Learning

 

The research is clear: Play is a critical part of the learning process for young children. Early childhood educators have the opportunity to deeply and meaningfully scaffold children’s learning by curating and organizing the “stuff” children love to play with most. 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 ages 3 to 5.

 

This practical, easy-to-read resource

 

·         Presents foundational information organized around the who, why, how, and what of using play materials to support preschoolers’ learning and development

·         Provides suggestions for play materials and describes why they are useful for different aspects related to each learning and development domain

·         Offers activity ideas as well as examples of questions to ask and comments to make that can extend children’s understanding as they engage in play 

·         Includes tips for developmentally appropriate ways to embed technology in children’s play

·         Recommends more than 90 children’s books that go hand-in-hand with each learning and development domain

 

Be inspired to take a look at your early learning setting through fresh eyes and enhance the quality of your program by providing play materials and experiences that nurture the learning, development, and well-being of each preschooler you teach.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938113772
Publisher:	The National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	424,908
File size:	56 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Lisa Mufson Bresson, MEd, is an early childhood education consultant with Beyond Boundaries, LLC, and coauthor of NAEYC’s bestselling book Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children’s Thinking. She leads workshops and presentations at local, state, national, and international conferences, thriving on the connections she makes with learners—both big and little!—on a daily basis. Since 2008, she has been a contributing author to Teaching Young Children (TYC), NAEYC’s magazine for preschool teachers, and serves on TYC’s advisory board. She is a former program manager for Grow NJ Kids, New Jersey’s statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System for early childhood programs. Previously, Lisa taught in urban public preschool settings for over a decade.

 

Megan King, MEd, is a preschool teacher at Passaic Public Schools in Passaic, New Jersey. She has worked in the field of early childhood education for over 10 years. She is active in the makerspace movement and has presented on and coauthored several articles on incorporating hands-on “maker” materials in early childhood classrooms. She has written articles published in TYC and is proud to serve as one of TYC’s advisory board members. She works with a diverse group of early childhood educators on the NAEYC/PBS Ready To Learn Content Review Advisory Board and is a past NJ Governor’s Educator of the Year Award winner at the school level. Megan enjoys working with her preschoolers and experiencing the world through their eyes.

Lisa Mufson Bresson, MEd, is an early childhood author, coach, and consultant with Beyond Boundaries, LLC, specializing in the areas of inquiry-based learning, developmentally appropriate practice, quality classroom environments, and early childhood leadership. Previously, she was the program manager for Grow NJ Kids, New Jersey's statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for early childhood programs. She taught in urban public preschool settings for over a decade. While in district, she also served on the Committee for Staff Development, mentoring and coaching novice teachers.

Lisa is coauthor of NAEYC’s bestselling book Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children’s Thinking. She has been a contributing author to Teaching Young Children, NAEYC’s magazine for preschool teachers, for over 10 years and currently serves on the publication’s advisory panel. She frequently presents at local, state, and national conferences.

Lisa is the proud mother of two adult sons, Levi and Jacob. She and her husband Jason live in Sharon, Connecticut, and are both enthusiastic travelers and adventure seekers.

Megan King, MEd, is an early childhood specialist and preschool teacher at Passaic Public Schools in Passaic, NJ. She holds degrees from Ramapo College of New Jersey and William Paterson University, including an MEd focusing on early childhood education. Megan has been working and learning with children and their families for more than 15 years.

A past New Jersey Governor’s Educator of the Year Award recipient for her school, she has served and continues to serve on several advisory boards, including the NJ Council for Teaching and Learning, the NAEYC-PBS Ready to Learn Advisory Board, and the TYC Editorial Advisory Panel. Megan has shared her expertise on making and makerspaces in the preschool classroom through several articles, presentations, a chapter in the NAEYC book Big Questions for Young Minds, and activities in a STEM book published by HighScope. Using her knowledge and enthusiasm for early childhood, Megan advocates for quality early childhood education policy through her role as Chairperson of the Early Childhood Educator’s Caucus to the National Education Association.

Megan lives in West Caldwell, New Jersey, with her family and enjoys cozying up with a good book and her dog Boone.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 Essential Questions 5

Chapter 1 Who? Children from Ages 3 to 5 6

Chapter 2 Why? Optimizing Learning, Development, and Well-Being 10

Chapter 3 How? The Role of Teachers 14

Chapter 4 What? Play Materials for Preschoolers 26

Summary and Reflection 31

Part 2 Cognitive Learning and Development 33

Chapter 5 Play Materials That Support My Language and Literacy Skills 34

Chapter 6 Play Materials That Teach Me Mathematical Concepts 40

Chapter 7 Play Materials That Encourage Me to Build and Engineer 46

Chapter 8 Play Materials That Inspire Scientific Inquiry and Innovation 52

Chapter 9 Play Materials That Help Me Understand Nature 58

Summary and Reflection 63

Part 3 Social and Emotional Learning and Development

Chapter 10 Play Materials That Support My Emotional intelligence, Relationship Building, and Cooperation Skills 66

Chapter 11 Play Materials That Invite My Creative Expression Through Visual Arts 74

Chapter 12 Play Materials That Encourage Me to Explore and Make Music 80

Chapter 13 Play Materials That Inspire Pretend Play and Dramatic Play 88

Summary and Reflection 95

Part 4 Physical Learning and Development 97

Chapter 14 Play Materials That Build My Gross Motor Skills 98

Chapter 15 Play Materials That Enhance My Fine Motor Skills 104

Chapter 16 Play Materials That Help Me Understand My Body 108

Chapter 17 Play Materials That Stimulate My Senses 114

Summary and Reflection 119

Final Thoughts 121

Appendix A Highlights of Learning, Development, and Positive Well-Being 122

Appendix B On the Bookshelf 123

References 128

Resources 130

Index 132

Acknowledgments 139

About the Authors 140

Editorial Reviews

This book should be in every preschool classroom! It is difficult to find information that is new, engaging, and proven successful in the classroom, but finally, here is a useful tool for preschool teachers. I especially love the features within each chapter that break down suggestions for play materials, tips for incorporating technology, questions to consider, and more. I am excited to implement these ideas and activities.

 

—Dana Pergola, Pre-K Teacher, Passaic Public Schools 

 

Grounded in developmentally appropriate practice, this essential and practical book supports and inspires preschool teachers and coaches to intentionally select and use play materials to foster children’s engagement, creativity, and learning across all domains. Bresson and King empower us to hold on to the joy of teaching through creating and reflecting on developmentally appropriate environments, materials, and teacher–child interactions.

 

—Holly Seplocha, Professor Emeritus, William Paterson University, and Early Childhood Consultant and Author

 

Play is such an important topic, and Lisa and Megan have presented a beautifully simple approach to choosing the “right stuff” for the preschool classroom. Each chapter is filled with ideas, wonderings, and questions to reflect upon. Breaking the chapters down into domains of learning allows for working on one area of development at a time. This is the perfect addition to my bookshelf. I can’t wait to share it with my staff and see how they integrate some of these suggestions in their classrooms!

 

—Karen Humphris, Executive Director, Passaic County Community College Child Development Center

 

 

I hope this book finds its way into the hands of all preschool teachers, coaches, and college faculty. The authors adopt a strong commitment to joy and curiosity and hold the teacher as a creative professional and essential collaborator with children. The “right stuff” it offers is everything one would need to create a vibrant early learning classroom. It opens on a strong foundation of curiosity about and in children and on how to foster joy and learning with play. What follows is a super accessible and well-organized feast of resources and activities. Of note are the questions at the end of each part that help teachers connect to their own learning and well-being. This resource is a complete package that will help any teacher embody the truth that any time becomes the right time to capitalize and build on children’s curiosity.

 

—Katie Emerson-Hoss, Higher Education Outreach and Implementation Manager, EarlyEdU Alliance at University of Washington

 

 

What a wonderful resource! The supply lists, suggestions for how to incorporate the play materials into learning experiences, and linkages to how they support development are both useful and engaging. I cannot wait to use this book with my staff and graduate students.

 

—Kristen Allen, Director of Early Education, YWCA Rhode Island

 

 

This book accurately describes how planning and designing the environment to include specifically chosen play materials for preschool-age children will have a significant impact on early childhood educational practices. Well written and simply stated, this resource will be invaluable to child care professionals in their educational journey.

 

—Eve Robinson, Program Director, Grow NJ Kids, and Instructor/Visiting Specialist, Montclair State University

 

 

This book weaves together child development and the critical importance of play, while empowering teachers to creatively make decisions for play materials that foster children’s learning. It is a fantastic resource for teachers in all stages of their career and for the coaches that support them.

 

—Kelley J. Perkins, Co-Director, Early Childhood Leadership Institute, Rowan University

From the Publisher