Discusses connections between play and reading at the primary level. Notes that sociodramatic play has the clearest link to reading because it involves imagination and manipulation of time and reality. Argues that play facilitates reading when it involves both the manipulation of symbols and acts of reading and writing. (MM)

Offers suggestions for promoting dramatic play as a medium for literacy development by concentrating on three factors: (1) the settings in which play occurs; (2) the amount of time allocated for play activities; and (3) the type of teacher involvement in play episodes. (MG)

Describes a collaborative compensatory program for at-risk kindergarten, first-, and second-grade students, in which literature, drama, music, and movement are woven together into miniperformances that develop and support literacy learning. Discusses the process of developing a miniperformance, and lists suggested books with stories for…

Reports on a study that compared drawing, discussion, and dramatic play as follow-up activities for reading aloud. Concludes that the children who played had better comprehension of the stories read to them. (FL)

Reports on an educational project that focused on the nature of the support one teacher gave to the children in her kindergarten class while engaging with them in literacy play. Contends that the project revealed that young children have their own assumptions about and knowledge of the written language, which they actively use in their play. (PM)

Discusses the critical relationships among play, learning to read, and early reading achievement. Gives examples of kindergarten play activities that nurture the ability to read, including painting, playing with lettered blocks, movement activities, sociodramatic play, and field trips. (FL)