Pathways to Play: Developing Play Skills in Young Children

Play skills are life skills. Help children grow in social skills by supporting the development of coorperative play skills. With the easy-to-use, accurate play checklist in Pathways to Play, teachers and caregivers can pinpoint the step in cooperative play where a child is having problems. Then, with the activities that correspond with each checklist item, you can plan activities that encourage the child to develop the needed skills.

Much more than a behavior management plan for children, Pathways to Play helps you plan for the development of new skills, rather than only controlling the problem behavior. Learn how to implement small changes in your environment, in you planned activities and in your expectations that can add up to major changes for children. Included are:

A simple, ten-step checklist that identifies where in play a child is having problems Teaching strategies, specifically targeted at the checklist steps Over 100 activity ideas that encourage development of specific play skills An easy-to-understand discussion of the basis of play Case studies that demonstrate the usefulness of the checklist Ideas for trainers

Sandra Heidemann has over 20 years of experience in the early childhood field and is dedicated to improving quality care for children, especially those with special needs. Her roles have included program director and special education teacher. A consultant and trainer, she currently holds a position at Words Work! as a classroom coordinator.