Article: Introduction to “Reconsidering Play in the Early Years,” a special issue of Early Child Care and Development

Publication: Early Childhood Development and Care

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

Publication Date: May 4, 2017, Vol. 187, Issue 5-6

Related WestEd Editor and Author: Julie Nicholson

Related WestEd Program: Center for Child & Family Studies

Excerpt From Introduction Co-Authored by WestEd’s Julie Nicholson

“Reconsidering Play in the Early Years’ is a collection of current research and theorizing about play that challenges, disrupts, and reexamines our current ‘contexts, perspectives and meanings’ (Fromberg & Bergen, 2015 Fromberg, D. P., & Bergen, D. (Eds.). (2015) of play in early care and education. Highlighted are pressing issues involving play for children living in diverse contexts around the world. Specifically, the issues of social justice and equity related to children’s play today are made visible and expand our theorizing and educational practices for supporting play while also recognizing the complexity of its expression and role in children’s lives. Our interest in this topic springs from our shared experience as professors charged with the responsibility of guiding early childhood students to learn about the complex construct of young children’s play.

Visit the Introduction to “Reconsidering Play in the Early Years” page to read the full introduction.