Saving Play: Addressing Standards through Play-Based Learning in Preschool and Kindergarten

by Gaye Gronlund, Thomas Rendon

Play, academics, and standards can work together with the right strategies and support from educators. Take an active role in child-directed play to guide learning. Become a strong advocate for saving play in early childhood education by empowering teachers to join play and standards, and learn how child-led, open-ended play addresses the seven domains and Common Core Standards. This book is full of research and resources that link academic learning and play experiences. Engage in provocative questions for teachers and administrators to help you effectively share the importance of play in early learning with others, and help restore play to its proper role as both fun and educational. Gaye Gronlund, MA , is a nationally recognized consultant and author who works with early childhood programs across the country, specializing in developmentally appropriate practice, authentic assessment, play-based curriculum, and early learning standards. Her other publications Individualized Child-Focused Curriculum, Focused Observations, Second Edition , and Making Early Learning Standards Come Alive, Second Edition . Thomas Rendon is the coordinator of the Iowa Head Start State Collaboration Office and an active supporter of policy to promote play at a state level. He has an MBA from the University of Iowa and is currently working on a PhD in early childhood special education from Kent State University.

Genres: Teaching, Professional Development, Education

236 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2017

Reviews

[Teri Pardue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited eagerly for this book's summer release and it did not disappoint! I have greatly enjoyed the wealth of information and research that went into such a well-thought "fight" for play in early childhood classrooms.

I used a lot of material from this in the college class I taught last month on Preschool Administration. I can also say it has shaped the way I think about what I want my preschoolers to learn and how I can meet those standards in my very play-based classroom. I made a lot of notes for how I want to tweak my own curriculum and planning. I also greatly appreciated the last couple chapters on assessment and I have a much better understanding now of how to approach assessing children while still maintaining a truly play-based curriculum.

I added several books to my to-read list thanks to "Saving Play", and I think I will be a better teacher for what I have learned in these pages. A huge thank you to Gaye Gronlund and Thomas Rendon for all the work they put into such a readable, easily understood book! I hope it impacts administrators, teachers, and, most of all, policy makers in the years to come!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out strong with good arguments and research in favor of play based instruction, but the examples of how to put it on practice were pretty weak.