The Alliance is happy to hear of new books, articles, films, websites, events, and projects relating to play. Please keep us informed.

Click here to view a list of books and websites.

Additional resources can be found at Carol Torgan's blog, Kinetics.

 

Articles on Crisis in the Kindergarten

Why Our Kids Don't Go to Kindergarten
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon Magazine
March 15, 2010

Why Kids Hate School
Nancy Kalish, Parenting Magazine
March, 2010

Testing Kindergarten: Young Children Produce Data-Lots of Data
Kelly McMahon, Rethinking Schools
Winter, 2009-2010

Increased Academic Rigor in Kindergarten Questioned
Amy Crawford,  Pittsburgh Tribune Reviewe
September 20, 2009

Play Has Key Role in Success at School
Jean W. Gowen,  Athens Banner-Herald
September 16, 2009

Pressure-Cooker Kindergarten
Patti Hartigan,  Boston Globe Magazine
August 30, 2009

Kindergarten Crunch: Lack of Playtime Killing Joy of Learning, Say Advocates
Kirsten Stewart,  The Salt Lake Tribune
August 24, 2009

Schools Should Make Time for Playtime
Jennifer Minnelli,  The Durham (N.C.) News
August 22, 2009

Tutoring Tots? Some Kids Prep for Kindergarten
Jacqueline Stenson,  MSNBC.com
August 18, 2009

The Pleasure of Play
Nesita Kwan,  NBC News, Chicago
July 28, 2009

Kindergarten Rx: More Play, Fewer Tests
Linda Kulman,  Politics Daily
June 18, 2009

Kindergarten Cram
Peggy Orenstein,  The New York Times Magazine
May 3, 2009

Developmentally Appropriate Practice
in the Age of Testing
David McKay Wilson, Harvard Education Letter
May/June 2009

Schoolchildren Miss Out on Play
Education Reporter
April 2009

 

Webinars and Audio Links on Play

A webinar on the Alliance report, Crisis in the Kindergarten: June 2, 2009. 

On May 28, 2009 the Alliance co-hosted a Congressional briefing on early education with the Forum for Education and Democracy.  

See webinar on "How to Be a Play Advocate: Tools and Tips for Activists and Troublemakers" done by the Alliance in conjunction with KaBOOM!

 

Articles on Education, Nature, Play and Parenting

Education

The Creativity Crisis
Po Bronson and Ashly Merryman, Newsweek
July 10, 2010

Playing to Learn
Susan Engel, The New York Times
February 1, 2010

Play, Learning and Young Children
Casper Journal
January 16, 2010

The Answer Sheet, Parental Anxiety is Ruining Playtime
Valerie Strauss, Washington Post
November 9, 2009

Delay Formal Lessons 'to Age Six'
Hannah Richardson, BBC News
October 16, 2009

The Evaluation of Enhanced Academics in Afer-school Programs 
Institute of Education Sciences
September 2009 

Children Have to Grow Up Too Fast
M. Jones, Edutopia
April 2008

Rush, Little Baby
Neil Swidey, The Boston Globe
October 28, 2007

Work vs. Play in Kindergarten
Joan Almon, The Washington Post
May 29, 2007

 

Outdoor Play and Nature

Streets are for Kids, Too!
Mike Lanza, Playborhood 
June 18, 2010

Helping Your Kids Avoid Stress
Stacy Hawkins Adams, Richman Times-Dispatch 
March 7, 2010

Dirt Can be Good for Children, Says Scientists
BBC World News
November 23, 2009

School of Thought
Richard J. Dolesh, Parks and Recreation
July 19, 2009

Make Fitness Fun
Michael O'Shea, Parade
July 19, 2009

Outdoor Play for Children: Resource List
Alliance for Childhood
February 2009

 

Play

Is Children's Play Innate?
William Crain, Encounter
Summer, 2010

Sometimes, Students Have to Relearn How to Play
Preston Williams, The Washington Post
October 29, 2009

Kids Have Fun Thinking Iinside the Box
Patty Fisher, The Mercury News
September 22, 2009

Let the Kids Play!
Derrick Z. Jackson, The Boston Globe
September 12, 2009

Let the Children Play (Some More)
Stuart Brown, The New York Times
September 2, 2009

Children can Learn Valuable Lessons from Time Spent at Play
Julia Steiny, The Providence Journal
August 9, 2009

No Camp This Summer? No Problem!
Julie Halpert, Newsweek
June 25, 2009

10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive                                                                               
Nancy Shute, US News and World Report
March 9, 2009

Play Author Stuart Brown: Why Playtime Matters to Kid's Health and Brains
Nancy Shute, US News and World Report
March 9, 2009

The Serious Need for Play
Melinda Wenner, Scientific American Mind
January 28, 2009

The New Playground: Bye, Jungle Gym
Kathleen Kingsbury, TIME
January 28, 2009

Playing It Smart!
Erica Gies, Land & People
Fall/Winter 2008

Remember 'Go Outside and Play?'
Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times
May 15, 2008

Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills
Alix Spiegel, NPR
February 21, 2008

Taking Play Seriously
Robin Marantz Henig,
New York Times Magazine
February 17, 2008

 

Parenting

The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
Nancy Gibbs, TIME
November 20, 2009

 

Recess

Don't Let Recess Die! Six Ways to Save Recess at Your Child's School
Darell Hammond, The Huffington Post
September 1, 2010 

Another Reason for Recess
Suzanne Tingley, Practical Leadership
April 19, 2010 

The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess
Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times
February 23, 2010

Recess Makes for Better Students
Amanda Gardner, Washington Post
January 26, 2009

For more articles on recess click here

 

Older Articles

The Death and Life of American Imagination
Jeannine Ouellette,
The Rake (Minneapolis, MN)
November, 2007

Statistics Prove Nature Impacts Children for the Better
The Beaumont Enterprise
October 3, 2007

Kids Pencil in Playtime
Heather Sells, CBN News
October 12, 2007

Old-School Blocks Prove Best for Brains
Paul Nyhan, SeattlePI.com
October 2, 2007

Turf Wars
William Crain, The New York Times
September 16, 2007

Todd R. Nelson: Limiting Children's Learning
Todd R. Nelson, Bangor Daily News
June 21, 2007

Getting Lost in the Great Indoors
Donna St. George, The Washington Post
June 19, 2007

You Kids, Get Outside!
Fran Henry, Cleveland.com, Lifestyles
June 15, 2007

Bring Back Fun Playgrounds
Commentary, Christian Science Monitor
June 13, 2007

Families Explore Nature's Wonders in Rye
Rachel M. Collins, SeaCoast online
May 31, 2007

Putting the Skinned Knees Back Into Playtime
Alex Williams, The New York Times
May 20, 2007

Einstein May Never Have Used Flashcards, but He Probably Built Forts
Lory Hough, Ed Magazine (Harvard)
Spring 2007

Why It’s Good to Get Dirty…
Lauren O’Hara, Cyprus Mail
April 11, 2007

A Classroom of Monkey Bars and Slides
Jane Brody, The New York Times
April 3, 2007

Leave No Child Inside
Richard Louv, Orion Magazine
March 2007

Experts Concerned about Children's Creative Thinking
Karen MacPherson, Post-Gazette National Bureau
August 15, 2004