The Essence of Play: A Practice Companion for Professionals Working with Children and Young People

Justine Howard

ISBN 10: 0415678137 / ISBN 13: 9780415678131

Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2013

About this Item

2013. 1st Edition. Paperback. Num Pages: 168 pages, 14 black & white tables, 57 black & white halftones, 9 black & white line drawings. BIC Classification: JKSB1; JMC; JNLA; MQCL3. Category: (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 246 x 176 x 9. Weight in Grams: 314. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780415678131

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Essence of Play: A Practice Companion for Professionals Working with Children and Young People
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415678137
• ISBN 13: 9780415678131
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

A unique companion to professional play practice!

All play professionals are united in their belief that play is important for children’s development – and there are inherent characteristics of play that underpin professional play practice across contexts. Providing an overarching concept of play, drawing together the evidence base across disciplines and linking theory to practice, The Essence of Play is the ideal handbook for all those working with children.

Play acts as a natural resource for children to meet physical, intellectual and emotional challenges and this book, unusually, considers play from the perspectives of children rather than adults. It provides a baseline of shared knowledge for all play professionals, exploring the fundamental value of play rather than a ‘how to’ approach to practice. It considers:

• the therapeutic potential inherent in play;
• how play reflects and promotes physical, emotional, intellectual, linguistic and social abilities;
• the emergence of different types of play skills and why these are important;
• cross-cultural patterns in play, gender, atypicality and adversity, highlighting the relevance of these issues to professional play practice;
• the benefits of utilising play for assessment and other professional practice issues such as ethical play practice, balancing risk with health and safety and the creation and management of boundaries.

This text is designed for students and practitioners working with children across the helping professions, including early years education, play therapy, playwork, childcare, social care, nursing and allied health. Each chapter provides directed reading and small reflective tasks to encourage readers to digest key issues.

About the Author

Justine Howard is Postgraduate Programmes Manager and Senior Lecturer at the College of Human and Health Sciences at Swansea University, UK. She is a Chartered Psychologist and specialist in developmental and therapeutic play.

Karen McInnes is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Glamorgan, UK. As a trained primary school teacher and speech therapist, she previously lectured in Early Years at Bath Spa University, UK.