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

Excel Awards Gold Winner for Technical book

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

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

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

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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

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

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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.

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.