Shows teachers how and why they should bring play into the classroom to make learning meaningful, relevant, and fun. Research studies show that all students—young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural—benefit immensely from classrooms filled with art, creativity, and laughter. Fun, playfulness, creative thinking, and individual expression reinforce positive experiences, which in turn lead to more engaged students, better classroom environments, and successful learning outcomes. Designed for K-12 educators, The Playful Classroom describes how teachers can develop a playful mindset for giving students meaningful, relevant and fun learning experiences. This unique real-world guide provides you with everything you need to incorporate engaging, hands-on lessons and creative activities, regardless of the level and subject you teach. Building on contemporary and seminal works on learning theory and play pedagogy, the authors explain how to inspire your students by bringing play. into your classroom. This clear, user-friendly guide supplies practical strategies and effective solutions for adding the missing ingredients to your classroom culture. Access to the authors’ companion website provides videos, learning experiences, and downloadable teaching and learning resources. Packed with relatable humor, proven methods, and valuable insights, this book enables you to: Provide meaningful experiences that will benefit students both in school and later in life Combine the principles of PLAY with traditional curricula to encourage creative learning Promote trust, collaboration, and growth in students Develop a playful mindset for bringing the arts into every lesson Foster critical thinking in any school community The Playful Classroom: The Power of Play for All Ages is a must-have resource for K-12 educators, higher education professionals, and readers looking for education-based professional development and training resources.

Play is serious business. Whether it's reenacting a favorite book (comprehension and close reading), negotiating the rules for a game (speaking and listening), or collaborating over building blocks (college and career readiness and STEM), Kristi Mraz, Alison Porcelli, and Cheryl Tyler see every day how play helps students reach standards and goals in ways that in-their-seat instruction alone can't do. And not just during playtimes. "We believe there is play in work and work in play," they write. "It helps to have practical ways to carry that mindset into all aspects of the curriculum." In Purposeful Play, they share ways to: optimize and balance different types of play to deepen regular classroom learning teach into play to foster social-emotional skills and a growth mindset bring the impact of play into all your lessons across the day. "We believe that play is one type of environment where children can be rigorous in their learning," Kristi, Alison, and Cheryl write. So they provide a host of lessons, suggestions for classroom setups, helpful tools and charts, curriculum connections, teaching points, and teaching language to help you foster mature play that makes every moment in your classroom instructional. Play doesn't only happen when work is over. Children show us time and time again that play is the way they work. In Purposeful Play, you'll find research-driven methods for making play an engine for rigorous learning in your classroom.

Discover why playing is school readiness with this updated guide. Timely research and new stories highlight how play is vital to the social, physical, cognitive, and spiritual development of children. Learn the seven meaningful experiences we should provide children with every day and why they are so important.

A practical book for teachers consisting of 10 YC and TYC articles on the importance of integrating rich content-based, teacher-guided instruction with meaningful child-centered play to nurture children's emerging capabilities and skills.

Help students and educators cope with fear in the classroom with this up-to-date new resource In The Courageous Classroom: Creating a Culture of Safety for Students to Learn and Thrive, community psychiatrist Dr. Janet Taylor and nationally acclaimed educator, Jed Dearybury deliver a concise and insightful take on the culture of fear in schools around the country. You'll learn about the various ways fear is present in students and educators, practical tools and strategies for educators to cope with fear and anxiety in the classroom, the reality of racism, homophobia and microaggressions and their impact on learning, and how to create a landscape of calm in your classroom. This important book will show you: The difference between fear and anxiety and how to respond to both How to create social-emotional learning environments where students feel mentally and physically safe Why, despite schools being safer than ever, students and educators fear for their personal safety How to manage educator stress, fear, and anxiety in a time of increasing coverage of school shootings Perfect for K-12 public school educators, Courageous Classrooms will also earn a place in the libraries of educators in training and parents with school-age children who wish to better help children cope with fear.

Harness the power of play in building learning environments that help students thrive In Why Play Works, expert educator and author Jill Vialet shares her insights from a career of promoting play. Designed to support schools, education professionals and parents in promoting play as an essential tool for increasing social connection amongst their students, you'll find out why playing is a behavior that's helped children learn to navigate the demands of social interaction for eons, and how we can keep it central to their school experience even as we return from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this book, you'll discover: Why it's important to intentionally integrate play into day-to-day school operations because of its ability to help students learn to manage risks, develop greater self awareness, and build confidence Ways of incorporating play into space – both in-person and remote – that contribute to responsive, flexible and sustainable teaching and learning environments Real examples of schools leveraging play to promote youth leadership and student agency How to incorporate play in co-creating new approaches to education, building off the insight that big changes start small Perfect for educators, school administrators, parents of school-age children, and anyone who is simply play-curious, Why Play Works is intended to prompt your thinking about all the ways in which play can be a tool for helping to bring out the best in our kids.. The book stands out as a thoughtful, playful and effective guide for supporting the learning and well-being of students everywhere.

Educational games played in groups or pairs help develop key language and social skills. Based on a range of material to extend vocabulary, punctuation and cross curricular creativity, Classroom Literacy Games for VCOP contains original games with suggestions how to develop writing tasks after playing them.