Play in the Early Years

Play in the Early YearsMarilyn FleerNew York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. References, vignettes, photographs, glossary, indices. 261 pp. $94.00 paper. ISBN: 9781107640221In Play in the Early Years, Marilyn Fleer communicates the importance of play in young children's early education and development. Focusing primarily on the role of play in the Australian government's Early Years Learning Framework (a curriculum for children from birth to age five), she uses a variety of theoretical perspectives to develop a schema to help the reader understand children's play. Her schema considers the setting (such as school, home, playground) in which play takes place and the nature of play. She encourages readers to reflect on their own personal memories, perspectives, and expectations of play to become aware of the value of children's play. Fleer also describes a systematic analysis of teaching based on children's play in early-childhood education. She demonstrates the ways in which others have understood play in different eras, cultures, and early-childhood education settings (such as child care, family child care, schools, and community groups). The book discusses a wide range of topics, including perspectives on play from different individuals such as infants, children, teachers, families, communities, classrooms, and various early-childhood settings; different theories of play including classical, developmental, and postdevelopmental; integrating play into the early-childhood education curriculum; promoting children's play development; using cultural technologies in children's play; using play for assessment purposes; and advocating for play.In her first chapter, she introduces the different perspectives on play from personal memories, early-childhood education teachers, and theorists. Fleer provides an important discussion on the teachers' beliefs about children's play, which determines how they implement play in their classroom. At the end of each chapter, Fleer includes glossaries to assist students to relate their understanding of important concepts to ideas. She also presents vignettes and real-life examples to assist students with making the transition from theory to practice. Throughout the book, she underscores children's play experiences in various ways. Every chapter highlights numerous instances of play based on young children's interviews and observations. These interviews and observations focus on important concerns and on children's resourcefulness and interests during their play.Play in the Early Years appears to be a valuable resource primarily for practitioners and undergraduate students of early-childhood education at Australian universities. …