The Recess Project Changemaker’s Guide – Blueprints for a new way to do recess

The Resources Project works with schools to support meaningful, inclusive opportunities for social connection, mindfulness, creativity, and all kinds of play. Their award-winning, evidence-based Recess Project Changemaker's Guide was designed to disrupt the outdated routines and replace them with healthy, inclusive and compassionate interactions. It is the product of a...

Playing It Up: With Loose Parts, Playpods, and Adventure Playgrounds

Child-initiated, creative play is returning after decades of erosion. Through the hard work and dedicated efforts of play activists, new opportunities for play are arising, including the use of open-ended play materials in schools, parks, nature centers, and adventure playgrounds. Over 20 play initiatives are described in this book, with...

The Science of Play: How to Build Playgrounds That Enhance Children’s Development

Poor design and wasted funding characterize today’s American playgrounds. A range of factors―including a litigious culture, overzealous safety guidelines, and an ethos of risk aversion―have created uniform and unimaginative playgrounds. These spaces fail to nurture the development of children or promote playgrounds as an active component in enlivening community space....

The Backyard Play Revolution: How to Engage Kids in Simple, Inexpensive Outdoor Play and Increase Child Health and Motor/Sensory Development

In this eye opening, easy-to-follow, action-oriented book, Jason Runkel Sperling explains how to use screen-free, unstructured outdoor play and toys to increase early-age child learning opportunities and improve happiness for the whole family.You’ll learn:•How to encourage your child to enjoy active, outdoor, screen-free play •How to foster unstructured, child-led playtime...

The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It

The Art of Roughhousing teaches parents how rough-and-tumble play can nurture close connections, solve behavior problems, boost confidence, and more. Drawing from gymnastics, martial arts, ballet, traditional sports, and even animal behavior, the authors present fifty illustrated activities for children and parents to enjoy together – everything from the “Sumo...

The ABC’s of Outdoor Play: A Book to Encourage Creative, Outdoor Play and Physical Activity in Young Children

Less screen time, more imaginative play! This children's book is meant to encourage young children to get outdoors and play, explore, learn and grow! It's a simple ABC style book with engaging illustrations. The back pages give families the opportunity to come up with their own ideas for creative outdoor...

Mud Kitchen in a Day: How to Quickly Get Your Kids Outside, Playing in the Dirt, & Enjoying Creative Play

Looking for that perfect summer distraction to get the kids out into the backyard? Learn how to set up a simple and inexpensive children’s mud kitchen in a day, allowing your children or grandchildren endless hours of plain and dirty backyard fun. Follow one father’s entertaining and informative attempt to...

Designing for Play

This title was first published in 2001. Architects, landscape designers, builders, gardeners and teachers have all at some time been called upon to design a play area. However, this diversity of profession has not resulted in a diversity of design solution, as playgrounds appear to have remained virtually the same...

Balanced and Barefoot How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children

In this important book, a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook shows how outdoor play and unstructured freedom of movement are vital for children's cognitive development and growth, and offers tons of fun, engaging ways to help ensure that kids grow into healthy, balanced, and resilient adults. Today's kids...

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