Description
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.
Author: Mary Benson McMullen, Dylan Brody
Publisher: National Association for the Education of You
Published: 12/21/2021
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 10.79h x 8.19w x 0.32d
ISBN13: 9781938113741
ISBN10: 1938113748
BISAC Categories:
- Education | Teaching | General
- Education | Schools | Levels | Early Childhood (Incl. Preschool & Kinder
- Education | Curricula
About the Author
Mary Benson McMullen, PhD, is a professor of early childhood education at Indiana University (IU), where she has been on faculty since 1993. After graduating from Michigan State University with her bachelor's degree, marriage, and the birth of her first son, Mary began studying child development at Florida State University where she earned MS and PhD degrees. During and shortly after her graduate education, she also worked as a caregiver and teacher of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and then as an early childhood program director, before accepting her position at IU. At IU, she teaches courses to preservice and in-service early childhood teaching professionals, as well as to doctoral students who plan to become teacher education scholars. Mary's primary research interests involve factors that influence quality early care and education for infants and toddlers; healthy overall growth, development, learning, and well-being of young children (birth through age 5); teaching beliefs and practices across cultures and contexts; and looking at factors that influence and ensure the well-being of professionals who care for young children. She has published dozens of articles for both research and teaching journals, as well as numerous book chapters. She is coeditor of the 2019 book, The Wiley Handbook of Early Childhood Care and Education. Mary lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where she and her husband of 37 years raised their three sons.
Katie Brody, MSED, is an infant and toddler teacher at Indiana University's Campus Children's Center, where they began their journey with young children in 2006. Katie began working as a full-time teacher with infants and toddlers in 2010 and fell deeply in love with the complexity of teaching young children. For thirteen years, they have worked collaboratively with a coteacher in a facility that utilizes a continuity of care model, providing them the space and support needed to build intimate and meaningful connections with children and their families over the course of a three-year cycle. This time allowed Katie to create a more deeply reflective teaching practice and mindful rapport with families through daily moments of trust building. Katie's primary research and teaching interests focus around ethics, equity, critical theory, mindfulness, and advocacy for fellow teachers who experience life outside of the margins. They prioritize care practices and policies that allow all members of the classroom community to feel safe to be themselves and challenge the barriers in place that might prevent success for all. Katie hopes to work more closely in the future with early childhood teachers in the LGBTQ+ community and to further advocate for trans visibility and representation in the field. Katie currently lives in Bloomington, Indiana, with their beloved cat Bean.