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Kansas Kids Ready for Learning

Play and Young Children


"Children who experience success are more likely not only to want
to repeat the experience, but to want to take on new or more difficult
challenges as well. Play gives children the opportunity for success." -Rogers & Sawyers, 1988

What We Know | Activities | Special Needs

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The sites marked with an asterisk (*) have NOT been BOBBY approved.


What We Know Age Level:
Infant/Toddler Play As A Way Of Enhancing Intellectual, Social & Emotional Development 0-3 years
Good Times With Infants 0-3 years
The Beginnings of Literacy 0-3 years
Active Learning Through Play 0-5 years
* Understanding Early Literacy, ages 0-5 years
Developing and Supporting Literacy-Rich Environments for Children 0-8 years
More Evidence on how Play Enhances Cognitive Development 0-8 years
* The importance of Dramatic Play 0-8 years
* Providing a Literacy-Rich Home Environment 0-8 years
Better Kid Care: Play Is the Business of Kids 0-12 years
New* Becoming Aware of Print (video) 2-5 years
Draw Me a Story, Dance Me A Poem: Integrating Expressive Arts Fosters Emergent Literacy 2-6 years
What Are Children Learning When They Play 2-6 years
Creating a Literacy-Based Play Center for Preschoolers 3-5 years
Dramatic Play 3-5 years
The Role of Pretend Play in Children’s Cognitive Development 3-8 years
Telling Stories with Blocks: Encouraging Language in The Block Center 3-6 years
Chopsticks and counting Chips: Do Play and Foundational Skills Need to Compete for Teacher’s Attention in an Early Childhood Classroom 3-6 years
Literacy-Rich Environments 3-8 years
Play and Literacy 3-6 years
From Play to Literacy: Implications for the Classroom 3-8 years
The Importance of Being Playful 3-8 years
The Value of School Recess and Outdoor Play 3-8 years
Puzzles in Early Childhood Education: Putting the Pieces Together 3-8 years
When Children Imitate Superheroes 3-8 years
Block Play: Building a Child’s Mind 3-8 years
Successful Early Childhood Education in an Imperfect World: Lessons Learned from Four Northwest Schools 3-8 years
Scaffolding Early Literacy Through Play
3-8 years
* Setting the Stage video clip
3-8 years
* Does Play Matter?
3- 12 years
A Kindergarten Perspective on Play
4-6 years
Examining the Play-Literacy Interface: A Critical Review and Future Directions
4-8 years
Play and Learning in Kindergarten
5-6 years

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Activities Age Level:
Infant Play: Growth and Development Birth-1 year
Investigations: A Responsive Approach to Infant Curriculum 0-3 years
Learning Numbers Through Play 0-5 years
Making Music: Literacy Tips for Parents 0-6 years
Activities to Help Your Child Learn About Language 0-6 years
Niehs Kid's Page: Sing-Along Songs 0-10 years
New* Educational Literacy Activities 2-6 years
Finger Plays and Action Verses For Children 2-8 years
Learning through Water Play 2-8 years
Prongo Fun Games 3-6 years
Creative Play Helps Children Grow! 3-6 years
Dramatic Play and Literacy 3-6 years
New Nine Great Times to Read in Child Care Settings 3-6 years
Literacy Activities for Day Care and Preschool Settings 3-6 years
Literacy Activities for Kindergarten 3-6 years
Dramatic Play Theme Ideas 3-8 years
Toys: Tools for Learning 3-8 years
Draw Me A Story, Dance Me A Poem: Integrating Expressive Arts Fosters Emergent Literacy 3-8 years
Education World-Playtime 3-8 years
* Creating a Literacy-Rich Classroom 3-8 years
* Invention Playhouse 3- 12 years
Preschool/Kindergarten Activities 4-6 years
Invention at Play 5-10 years
Elementary Activities
6-8 years
Prongo Fun Games
6-9 years

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Special Needs Age Level:
Learning through Play: My Baby's Hearing 0-3 years
* Universal Design for Play Tool 0-3 years
The Effect of Disabilities on Play Skills 0-5 years
Toys and Playtime Tips for Children with Special Needs 0-5 years
* Universal Design Means Toys for Everyone 0-5 years
* Identifying Toys with Universal Design Features: Multiple Considerations 0-5 years
Toy Adaptations 0-8 years
Play and Children with Special Needs 0-8 years
* Let’s Play: the 2006 Guide to Toys for Children with Special Needs
0-8 years
* Assistive Technology Resources for Play
0-8 years
Augmenting Play and Communication for Children with Physical Impairments
1-8 years
Promoting Positive Learning Outcomes through an Activity Base Approach with Young children with Severe Disabilities 2-6 years
Toys and Adaptive Play
2-10 years
Pretending, Storytelling, and Participation
3-5 years
Play and Parent Interaction in Young Children with Physical Impairments
3-8 years
Play Environments for Children with Physical Differences and Impairments 3-10 years
Activity Ideas for Students with Severe/Profound/Multiple Disabilities 3-12 years

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