Play, Games & Toys in ED, B-8

Catalog description

This course focuses on play, games and toys, with an emphasis on historical and contemporary discourses of their role in Early Childhood Education. It covers diverse theories and research on patterns/processes of play related to the social and cognitive development of children from Birth to Age 8, as well as research on the affordances/ challenges of play-based teaching practices. Games and toys are critiqued in terms of their sociocultural construction, pedagogical usage, and in how they may contribute to the creative, language, social, emotional and identity development of young children.