Awards

• Winner of Excel Awards Gold for Technical book 2023 (United States)

Overview

"NAEYC publishes research-based; peer-reviewed books for early childhood educators. The topic of materials to include in the classroom impacts every teacher and the information will guide teachers to consider how specific materials help foster children's learning and development in specific domains. Explains the critical role that play materials (that is, classic toys like balls, dolls, and blocks as well as other resources that support play like paint, swings, boxes, and mirror) have in enhancing children's learning and development. As part of this, it goes into why selecting the quote ""right stuff"" matters and what the teacher's role is in choosing these play materials. Emphasizes incorporating child-directed interests and activities into the classroom and how to provide materials that inspire hands-on, exploratory learning to help children go from concrete thinking to more abstract thinking. While these books explore a wide range of play materials, they also help teachers see how a little can go a long way and inspire them to see the deeper learning potential each play material has. For example, a ball can not only help children's physical development (big muscles and coordination), it can be the object of a math inquiry (such as measuring its circumference with yarn or a measuring tape) or a science inquiry (like observing if it rolls down a ramp faster or slower depending on how they set the incline.)"

Full Product Details

9781938113765

Table of Contents

Reviews

This book should be in every preschool classroom! It is difficult to find information that is new, engaging, and proven successful in the classroom, but finally, here is a useful tool for preschool teachers. I especially love the features within each chapter that break down suggestions for play materials, tips for incorporating technology, questions to consider, and more. I am excited to implement these ideas and activities. -Dana Pergola, Pre-K Teacher, Passaic Public Schools Grounded in developmentally appropriate practice, this essential and practical book supports and inspires preschool teachers and coaches to intentionally select and use play materials to foster children's engagement, creativity, and learning across all domains. Bresson and King empower us to hold on to the joy of teaching through creating and reflecting on developmentally appropriate environments, materials, and teacher-child interactions. -Holly Seplocha, Professor Emeritus, William Paterson University, and Early Childhood Consultant and Author Play is such an important topic, and Lisa and Megan have presented a beautifully simple approach to choosing the right stuff for the preschool classroom. Each chapter is filled with ideas, wonderings, and questions to reflect upon. Breaking the chapters down into domains of learning allows for working on one area of development at a time. This is the perfect addition to my bookshelf. I can't wait to share it with my staff and see how they integrate some of these suggestions in their classrooms! -Karen Humphris, Executive Director, Passaic County Community College Child Development Center I hope this book finds its way into the hands of all preschool teachers, coaches, and college faculty. The authors adopt a strong commitment to joy and curiosity and hold the teacher as a creative professional and essential collaborator with children. The right stuff it offers is everything one would need to create a vibrant early learning classroom. It opens on a strong foundation of curiosity about and in children and on how to foster joy and learning with play. What follows is a super accessible and well-organized feast of resources and activities. Of note are the questions at the end of each part that help teachers connect to their own learning and well-being. This resource is a complete package that will help any teacher embody the truth that any time becomes the right time to capitalize and build on children's curiosity. -Katie Emerson-Hoss, Higher Education Outreach and Implementation Manager, EarlyEdU Alliance at University of Washington What a wonderful resource! The supply lists, suggestions for how to incorporate the play materials into learning experiences, and linkages to how they support development are both useful and engaging. I cannot wait to use this book with my staff and graduate students. -Kristen Allen, Director of Early Education, YWCA Rhode Island This book accurately describes how planning and designing the environment to include specifically chosen play materials for preschool-age children will have a significant impact on early childhood educational practices. Well written and simply stated, this resource will be invaluable to child care professionals in their educational journey. -Eve Robinson, Program Director, Grow NJ Kids, and Instructor/Visiting Specialist, Montclair State University This book weaves together child development and the critical importance of play, while empowering teachers to creatively make decisions for play materials that foster children's learning. It is a fantastic resource for teachers in all stages of their career and for the coaches that support them. -Kelley J. Perkins, Co-Director, Early Childhood Leadership Institute, Rowan University

This book should be in every preschool classroom! It is difficult to find information that is new, engaging, and proven successful in the classroom, but finally, here is a useful tool for preschool teachers. I especially love the features within each chapter that break down suggestions for play materials, tips for incorporating technology, questions to consider, and more. I am excited to implement these ideas and activities.   —Dana Pergola, Pre-K Teacher, Passaic Public Schools    Grounded in developmentally appropriate practice, this essential and practical book supports and inspires preschool teachers and coaches to intentionally select and use play materials to foster children’s engagement, creativity, and learning across all domains. Bresson and King empower us to hold on to the joy of teaching through creating and reflecting on developmentally appropriate environments, materials, and teacher–child interactions.   —Holly Seplocha, Professor Emeritus, William Paterson University, and Early Childhood Consultant and Author   Play is such an important topic, and Lisa and Megan have presented a beautifully simple approach to choosing the “right stuff” for the preschool classroom. Each chapter is filled with ideas, wonderings, and questions to reflect upon. Breaking the chapters down into domains of learning allows for working on one area of development at a time. This is the perfect addition to my bookshelf. I can’t wait to share it with my staff and see how they integrate some of these suggestions in their classrooms!   —Karen Humphris, Executive Director, Passaic County Community College Child Development Center     I hope this book finds its way into the hands of all preschool teachers, coaches, and college faculty. The authors adopt a strong commitment to joy and curiosity and hold the teacher as a creative professional and essential collaborator with children. The “right stuff” it offers is everything one would need to create a vibrant early learning classroom. It opens on a strong foundation of curiosity about and in children and on how to foster joy and learning with play. What follows is a super accessible and well-organized feast of resources and activities. Of note are the questions at the end of each part that help teachers connect to their own learning and well-being. This resource is a complete package that will help any teacher embody the truth that any time becomes the right time to capitalize and build on children’s curiosity.   —Katie Emerson-Hoss, Higher Education Outreach and Implementation Manager, EarlyEdU Alliance at University of Washington     What a wonderful resource! The supply lists, suggestions for how to incorporate the play materials into learning experiences, and linkages to how they support development are both useful and engaging. I cannot wait to use this book with my staff and graduate students.   —Kristen Allen, Director of Early Education, YWCA Rhode Island     This book accurately describes how planning and designing the environment to include specifically chosen play materials for preschool-age children will have a significant impact on early childhood educational practices. Well written and simply stated, this resource will be invaluable to child care professionals in their educational journey.   —Eve Robinson, Program Director, Grow NJ Kids, and Instructor/Visiting Specialist, Montclair State University     This book weaves together child development and the critical importance of play, while empowering teachers to creatively make decisions for play materials that foster children’s learning. It is a fantastic resource for teachers in all stages of their career and for the coaches that support them.   —Kelley J. Perkins, Co-Director, Early Childhood Leadership Institute, Rowan University

Author Information

"Lisa Mufson Bresson,is an early childhood education consultantwith Beyond Boundaries, LLC, and coauthor of NAEYC's bestselling book Big Questions for Young Minds: ExtendingChildren's Thinking. She leads workshops and presentations at local, state,national, and international conferences, thriving on the connections she makeswith learners-both big and little!-on a daily basis. Since 2008, she has been acontributing author to Teaching YoungChildren (TYC), NAEYC's magazine for preschool teachers, and serves on TYC's advisory board. She is a former program manager for Grow NJKids, New Jersey's statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System for earlychildhood programs. Previously, Lisa taught in urban public preschool settingsfor over a decade. Megan King,is a preschool teacher at Passaic PublicSchools in Passaic, New Jersey. She has worked in the field of early childhoodeducation for over 10 years. She is active in the makerspace movement and haspresented on and coauthored several articles on incorporating hands-on ""maker""materials in early childhood classrooms. She has written articles published in TYC and is proud to serve as one of TYC's advisory board members. She works with a diverse group ofearly childhood educators on the NAEYC/PBS Ready To Learn Content ReviewAdvisory Board and is a past NJ Governor's Educator of the Year Award winner atthe school level. Megan enjoys working with her preschoolers and experiencingthe world through their eyes."

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available