A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play

by Vivian Gussin Paley

Book Overview

The buzz word in education today is accountability. But the federal mandate of "no child left behind" has come to mean curriculums driven by preparation for standardized tests and quantifiable learning results. Even for very young children, unstructured creative time in the classroom is waning as teachers and administrators are under growing pressures to measure school readiness through rote learning and increased homework. In her new book, Vivian...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226644898
• ISBN13: 9780226644899
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 111 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A Renewed Hope For My Career

After reading this book, I realized just how much pressure must be on Kindergarten teachers today. There are expectations put upon them to prepare children academically for first grade when so many of them were not prepared for today's Kindergarten in the first place. From then on, it's a snowball effect in which each subsequent teacher is trying to catch every child up on academic standards. What ever happened to preparing them for life? Einstein said, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.", and this book follows that train of thought. As more time passes, play is devalued more and more... then people wonder why children have to critical thinking and problem solving skills. It's evident that so much can be learned through fantasy play and storytelling... much more than simply learning what you need to pass a test. Reading this book renewed my hope for what Early Childhood Professionals can do in classrooms to get back their roots in play. I highly recommend reading this if you work with young children or have children of your own!

geting in touch with your childhood

Vivian Gussen Paley is one of the best advocates for children baing allowed to learn through play. She reminds us of how we used to learn, how we used fantasy play to calm our anxieties, and also the need for us to stop and really listen to what children are talking about. This book is a must have for parents, and teachers of children aged 0ne to eight, it offers an insight to the value of children learning to learn. Fantasy play encompasses every aspect of the curricullum and the value that should be placed in this type of play.

Dramatic play book!

Used this in a college class about play! Paley's book meets and exceeds my expecations! Wonderful ideas about capturing and documenting children's dramatic play

A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play

I enjoy all of Vivian Paley's books, but this one is especially timely and pertinent since I am part of a kindergarten readiness transition team for a school district in Pennsylvania. Ms. Paley is very clear about the importance of play during the early childhood years and brings her beliefs across in a simple and convincing format. I bought a copy for each member of our team with the hope that it will illicit thoughtful discussion and lead us toward some needed changes in our views of what is significant in our relationships, interactions and guidance of young children as we make policies, and set out to prepare children for elementary school and beyond.