Customer Reviews

A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoy all of Vivian Paley's books, but this one is especially timely and pertinent since I am part of a kindergarten readiness transition team for a school district in Pennsylvania. Ms. Paley is very clear about the importance of play during the early childhood years and brings her beliefs across in a simple and convincing format. I bought a copy for each member of our team with the hope that it will illicit thoughtful discussion and lead us toward some needed changes in our views of what is significant in our relationships, interactions and guidance of young children as we make policies, and set out to prepare children for elementary school and beyond.

After reading this book, I realized just how much pressure must be on Kindergarten teachers today. There are expectations put upon them to prepare children academically for first grade when so many of them were not prepared for today's Kindergarten in the first place. From then on, it's a snowball effect in which each subsequent teacher is trying to catch every child up on academic standards. What ever happened to preparing them for life?

Einstein said, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.", and this book follows that train of thought. As more time passes, play is devalued more and more... then people wonder why children have to critical thinking and problem solving skills. It's evident that so much can be learned through fantasy play and storytelling... much more than simply learning what you need to pass a test.

Reading this book renewed my hope for what Early Childhood Professionals can do in classrooms to get back their roots in play. I highly recommend reading this if you work with young children or have children of your own!

Vivian Gussen Paley is one of the best advocates for children baing allowed to learn through play. She reminds us of how we used to learn, how we used fantasy play to calm our anxieties, and also the need for us to stop and really listen to what children are talking about. This book is a must have for parents, and teachers of children aged 0ne to eight, it offers an insight to the value of children learning to learn. Fantasy play encompasses every aspect of the curricullum and the value that should be placed in this type of play.

At the time of writing this review, I am the only one (out of 7 reviewers) who has not raved about this book. I was very much looking forward to receiving the book, largely based on the other reviews. But when I got it, I was disappointed enough that I actually returned it. Already a believer in the importance of fantasy play, I felt Gussin Paley was preaching to the choir, and I wasn't interested in only reading transcripts from children's fantasy play. The book is very thin to begin with, but without the transcripts there wouldn't be enough to form a book. I was hoping for more insights into how to encourage group fantasy play for the children in my care and how I might direct them most efficiently. Perhaps I would be better off ordering the Tools of the Mind book.

Used this in a college class about play! Paley's book meets and exceeds my expecations! Wonderful ideas about capturing and documenting children's dramatic play

The book is written by Vivian Gussin Paley as she chronicles her a 37 years as a nursery school and kindergarten teacher and her observations of dramatic play in the classroom.This book gives a strong arguement for less table work and more play for learners of all ages, and the methods that Ms. Paley describes in her book prove the value of dramatic play in the classroom, at any grade level.
I chose this book based on the title and my interest in using "fantasy play" and drama to teach social lessons in my own classroom. The themes of the book are seemingly progressive compared to the current academic expectations and preparations for children in the classroom. Yet, Vivian Paley contends that our schools have actually departed from the play-based nursery school and kindergartens of the past. Throughout the book, she criticizes the disappearance of dramatic play from American schools. She feels that the absence of play has become a major obstacle in children's path to learning and asks that storytelling and play be brought back to the classroom.
Dramatic play in the classroom setting is the child's "work." As children explore character, setting and intentions, like a professional actor does, they learn more and understand more about their lives. Dramatic play teaches socialization and life lessons that children have trouble grasping otherwise. Through their difficult work, they grow as human beings.

An inspiring book about the importance of play in pre-school, especially storytelling and dramatic play. Paley incorporates numerous first-hand narratives of children's stories in her engaging prose, making you feel like you're right there in the classroom with her. It's also a short book, and I highly recommend it for all new parents.

I found this book a very interesting book to read it is very it gives a very clear understanding and a good insight into the childs world.