Research and Resources Supporting Play
When a fellow PLN member asks a question, I always consider it to be inspiration for the next step in our work children. This is our chance to come together, collaborate on resources, support each other. In-turn, we support the children and families we work with each day.
A question was recently posted by a teacher looking for resources to support social skills and play to share in a presentation. It was the perfect opportunity for me to reflect on my own work. Where do I turn when I have questions or need research to back up my ideas about play? Am I staying true to research and theory? What have I forgotten about? What can I re-evaluate with fresh eyes?
In this post I have created a collection of some of my go-to resources supporting play in the classroom. Some of them are newer, some a bit older, some have a technology focus, and some do not. As I was creating this list, I thought about how great it would be to start a collaborative Google Doc that can be added to by other members of our PLN looking for support in the work that we do through play.
At the end of this post, I have added an open-ended doc for anyone to add resources that would support teachers and families as we work together to advocate for play for our children. Innovating play is as much a partnership as it is a mission. Thank you to all of the amazing teachers who work and play with our littlest learners each day. We are all better when we come together to learn and play.
Researchers studied kindergarteners' behavior and followed up 19 years later. Here are the findings.
