books on toddler play/importance of play

cmrand4 · April 2014

I'd like to do some reading on how toddlers learn through play. Isn't there a book out there about the importance of learning through play? it seems like I remember something out there that was popular but when I Google and search on Amazon, I can't come up with what I'm thinking of. Help!

Myaflowers · April 2014

I'm a play therapist (yes, my job is to spend all day playing!), and even though you aren't asking about play therapy per se, the Association for Play Therapy website has some general info about how play benefits children.

www.a4pt.org/ps.playtherapy.cfm

Also, a couple of names that come up in play therapy often are Garry Landreth and Virginia Axline. They written a lot about how play benefits children. There is actually a type of play therapy called Filial Therapy where parents use basic play therapy skills at home with their children. It's a great way to help a child learn and grow and build self-confidence.

Play is such an important aspect of toddler development. One thing to really keep in mind is that children definitely benefit more from toys that they can use in a variety of ways than toys that are meant for a specific purpose. For example, they are better off with things like dolls, puppets, toy kitchens, blocks, play dough, etc. ( toys that encourage pretend play and creativity) instead of electronic toys and other toys that don't encourage creativity. Not that electronic toys are bad (my DD definitely has some), but you just want to be sure you have more toys that encourage creativity. Pretend play is how children learn and try out different roles and life experiences.

Sorry to go off on a tangent! I'm just very passionate about play and think it's great that you are trying to learn more about it!

sschwege · April 2014

Maybe you were thinking of Playful Parenting? As pp said it's meant for children of all ages, but I have been putting some of it to action with my two, particularly DD.