Just Play: Inspiring Adult Play in Early Childhood Education

Reclaim the joy of play for yourself!Play is crucial in adulthood because it fosters adaptiveness, creativity, role rehearsal, and mind-body integration. Just Play specifically targets adults' play and explains how the adults' shift toward creativity can influence children. If adults can reharness their playful capacities and reap all of play’s benefits, they will be equipped to work with children, design effective curricula, understand children and increase empathy, create playful leadership opportunities, and make significant changes to their programs and organizations. In play, children stay connected to their childhood capacities that support creativity and innovation. Just like children, when adults engage in play and creative endeavors, they can find that childlike center that cultivates happiness and joy. Play is affirming because it allows us to enter a natural, safe, and caring environment in which we freely explore our inner thinking and desires.  The book will guide educators, administrators, and faculty through a series of comprehensive steps that will shift their thinking surrounding adult play. It is designed to give administrators, associations, and community agencies a blueprint to redesign programs to increase creativity and innovation, and ultimately drive system change. Read more