The type of play known as free play is unstructured, voluntary, child-initiated activity that allows children to develop their imaginations while exploring and experiencing the world around them. It is the spontaneous play that comes naturally from children’s natural curiosity, love of discovery, and enthusiasm.
Classic Toys of the National Toy Hall of Fame describes the classic toys that have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame from 1998 to 2008. The American toys described include their histories with their inventors and how they were made as well as why they became so popular.
The Hands-on-Nature Anarchy Zone, an adventure playground at Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG), is a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ithaca, New York.
Emotional development refers to the ability to recognize, express, and manage feelings at different stages of life and to have empathy for the feelings of others. Emotional development is largely affected by relationships with parents, siblings, and peers.
John Amos Comenius was an education reformer and religious leader who is now known as the Father of Modern Education. He revolutionized education in the way school systems were set up, created a general theory of education around the idea of children learning at a natural pace from simple concepts to challenging theories, and wrote a series of textbooks on teaching methods and subject matter for children.
Competition is rivalry for supremacy, which may result in a prize, honor, or advantage. Competition is about winning and losing; if someone wins, then one or more children lose. Competition is a learned behavior.
Superhero play is a form of imaginative, dramatic play where children use costumes, props, or action figures to imitate the superheroes they admire. Children are drawn to the power, strength, and special attributes of superheroes and engaging in superhero play helps them feel empowered and in charge of their world.
Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, brought the need to reconnect children with nature to the forefront of childhood issues. The book describes the current status of children and nature play.
A fast paced ball game, four square is easy to play with no time constraints. Four square has been a popular playground game during recess for years. It has also been called box ball and Kings Corners.
The ability of the vision system to coordinate the movement of the hands to perform a task is called eye-hand coordination. Children's eye-hand coordination skills improve as they play with toys, blocks, puzzles, and balls.
