Why Play? The Role of Play in Early Childhood Development

"Why Play? The Role of Play in Early Childhood Development" is an in-depth booklet that explores the importance of play for children. Play forms the foundation for life-long growth and development. This booklet should be considered a great resource for parents and educators. Some topics discussed include: Reasons that play is important Types of play Brain development Health and nutrition Tips for how adults can promote play Educational philosophies

My name is Christopher Pancoast and this is my first book that I published. This book is a resource for children, parents, families, educators and anyone else who enjoys working with children. I have been working with and teaching children for 11 years in different educational enviroments and programs. From my experiences, research and by communicating with parents it is my belief that people working with children should understand that children do indeed learn through play and that learning does not only take place in the classroom. It is through play that children learn developmental skills, form new relationships, build their language skills and so much more. Children should be seen as having open minds being curious and learning new things (aka little scientists). I have always known that teaching was my calling and working with children comes natural for me. It is the best feeling going to work seeing all of the children exploring,playing and smiling. In addition to working with children, while I was in school, I was a very active member of an educational association taking multiple leadership positions as a Northern Regional VP and a State Council Representative representing students and their educational issues at the college level both state and nation wide.