Describes children's dramatic play behavior as a structured, recognizable phenomenon that is the result of careful nurturing by caregivers and a future tool to make vivid the actualities and potentialities of human experience. (CRH)

Considers the use of sociodramatic play to help preschool children with their literacy development. Describes and assesses the Scrapbook Project at a university laboratory preschool. In this project, children dictate stories to their teacher, choose props to illustrate their stories, and act out their stories. (BB)

Goals of block building in early childhood classrooms focus on physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development. Reports survey results of the value teachers place on block play. Offers illustrations of task cards to use with blocks in math, language arts, social studies, and science. Discusses guidelines and suggests idea cards and sentence…

This book presents a theoretical framework that weaves together three threads: (1) the importance of play in the social, psychological, and intellectual development of children; (2) the human need for personal power and the gratification that challenge in active learning experiences brings to one's feelings of self-worth; and (3) the imperative of…