An essential guide to planning, management and evaluation of early years activities, this full-color new edition provides detailed descriptions of the important materials, additional equipment and the role of the adults for a full range of activity types. Activities are provided for a range of ages, and the book provides a clear focus on good practice and systematic coverage of equal opportunities, safety and resources.
Philosophy for Young Children is a concise, practical guide for teachers. It contains detailed session plans for 36 philosophical enquiries that will enable them to introduce philosophy to their children quickly and with confidence.
In Right from the Start: A Practical Guide for Helping Young Children with Autism, Karin Donahue and Kate Crassonsassert that autistic children can be successful when parents and teachers understand key principles of autism and have the tools to help these children expand their social and emotional skills. Emphasizing the importance of self-regulation—the ability to moderate our feelings and reactions—the authors describe practical strategies to help children manage their emotions and behavior, learn social and play skills, and cope with challenging sensory experiences. Right from the Start is a needed and indispensable resource for parents, professionals, and educators. With these techniques, we can lay a positive foundation that enables autistic children to be confident and successful in any environment.
Finalist in the Professional Books category of the 2018 Nursery World Awards. This accessible guide shows early years professionals how to create safe, supportive environments for young children who have encountered adverse childhood experiences. Explaining the impact of trauma on young brains, it gives practical instructions on how to recognise and respond to abuse. These instructions are supported by exercises, case studies, and reflection points that help you identify and improve your methods. Current legislation, policy and procedure are clarified in clear, concise language, providing you with everything you'll need to work with your team towards a happier, safer future for the children in your care.
"The authors . . . make child-centered play therapy readily understandable to those who wish to take advantage of its long history of helping children overcome problems and grow emotionally to a level of maturity difficult to achieve by any other approach." —From the Foreword, by Louise F. Guerney, PhD, RPT-S A comprehensive resource that thoroughly teaches the theory, methods, and practice of child-centered play therapy Child-Centered Play Therapy: A Practical Guide to Developing Therapeutic Relationships with Children offers how-to direction and practical advice for conducting child-centered play therapy. Filled with case studies, learning activities, and classroom exercises, this book presents extensive coverage of play therapy applications such as setting goals and treatment planning, as well as recommendations for family and systemic services that can be provided along with play therapy. This rich resource provides: A thorough introduction to the theory and guiding principles underlying child-centered play therapy Skill guidance including structuring sessions, tracking, empathy, responding to children's questions, and role-play Effective ways of determining what limits to set in the playroom and how to set them in a therapeutically effective manner Clear methods for monitoring children's progress through stages as well as external measures of progress Practical guidance in adjunct therapist tasks such as playroom set-up, documentation, ending therapy, and working with parents, teachers, and principals Endorsed by Louise Guerney—a founding child-centered play therapy figure who developed the skills-based methods covered in this book—Child-Centered Play Therapy comprehensively and realistically introduces practitioners to the child-centered approach to play therapy and addresses how to incorporate the approach into schools, agencies, or private practice.
′Theresa′s book is full of lots of inspiring, practical, ′how to go about it ideas′ coupled with thought provoking and sometimes challenging comments and views. The range of ideas and information contained in this book will go a long way to support the development of flexible, imaginative, yet not prescriptive play spaces that contribute to supporting children′s play. A very readable and worthwhile publication to add to your resources′ - Muriel Young, Grounds for Learning (Learning Through Landscapes) ′This practical book helps the reader plan, design and manage the kinds of settings that afford children the opportunities to carry out the wide range of self-directed activities that are so important to their development. It′s ideal for community development workers, the organizers of after-school programs, children′s hospital staff and groups of caring parents′ - Roger A. Hart, Director of the Children′s Environments Research Group, The Graduate School of the City University of New York ′This readable and usable book is full of advice and ideas which will take every professional nearer to understanding the way to provide opportunities for children which the children themselves would want and enjoy... A necessary addition to the bookshelf for all interested in the subject′ - PlayRights Journal (online journal of the International Play Association) ′Refreshing and insightful... One of the best things about this book is that Casey offers us a fresh perspective on our role. While we may long for a world where we opened the door and sent children outside to play, we are faced with the reality that, for a variety of reasons, these opportunities are no longer occurring naturally in our communities. It is encumbent upon us now to recreate these "essential childhood opportunities." This will take intentional, thoughtful, informed design. Casey′s book gives us some great starting points. A must read′ - PlayRights Magazine ′I like the attention to individuality, children′s perspectives and community. The author brings a strong playwork perspective to considering outdoor spaces, which early years practitioners considering the design of new or refurbished areas should find valuable. It′s crucial to free up our thinking about playful spaces, and this book brings a refreshing focus on working from children′s motivations for play, using playful values (such as choice, spontaneity, freedom and meaning-making) to drive thinking, being careful not to over-design, and the organic growth of a space into a place through the play that occurs′ - Nursery World ′Casey′s extensive research and years of practice in award winning play services are very much in evidence in the various techniques and ideas that she describes in this publication... a great resource for any play setting considering setting up or developing thier outdoor play space′ - SOSCN News Update ′If you are daunted, but excited, by the challenge of developing your outdoor spaces to meet the needs of all children, this book is an excellent resource′ - Early Years Update Exciting spaces to play are vital if we are to provide children with challenging, flexible, inclusive and stimulating opportunities to learn, develop and have fun together. This book provides readers with ideas for developing play environments that will meet the needs of the children in their care. It illustrates how improving the play environment also offers a better, more positive way of dealing with a number of issues from inclusion to playground management and the need to promote physical activity. It includes: - clear frameworks for designing play environments; - case studies showing examples of how play environments can be developed; - ideas and activities which lead to interesting designs, with the participation of the children; - practical examples, illustrations & photographs; - research evidence showing the importance of good play environments. The book is aimed at practitioners and managers in all early years and children′s play settings, and students on education, early childhood, child care and playwork courses. It is also very relevant to playground designers, landscape architects and community education and development workers.
In these games, the prize is success in school—and life. Having good social skills doesn’t just affect classroom behavior—it’s the key to making learning stick. When students improve their self-regulation, social communication, and perspective-taking competencies, they are better prepared to challenge themselves academically, take on tough tasks, and collaborate with teachers and classmates to achieve real, lasting school success. And since these skills also improve life outside school, the benefits come full circle. Designed for both explicit instruction and "learning by doing," this practical guide provides hands-on activities that are easily adapted into any curriculum and can be used in general education, special education, after-school settings, and in the home. The design of each game keeps kids engaged and motivated, while educators benefit from clear, thorough explanations that unpack the complexities of social learning. Other behind-the-scenes features include: Evidence-based, teacher-tested lessons Anecdotes and real-world examples Links to relevant research Expansion ideas for applying learned skills to broader situations Templates and reproducibles for easy implementation This curated collection of activities puts social-learning theory into practice, helping even the most challenging children develop the social skills necessary for real success in school—and beyond.
