A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child [Paperback]

Rae Pica (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2006

What parent doesn't want their child to achieve and get a head start on the path to success? But, life today for young children has become a dress rehearsal for type-A adulthood— a competition to be the best. Parents have been led to believe that enrolling their kids full time in special classes, extracurricular academics, competitive sports, and other structured, high-commitment activities will give them an edge— leading to a pressure cooker environment that can interfere with kids' natural development. Young kids can spend their free time finger painting, playing in the sandbox, inventing games, and still turn out to be smart, talented, successful adults. In A Running Start, renowned educational expert Rae Pica looks at the many misconceptions under which today's parents are laboring. Among them are beliefs that "earlier is better" when it comes to athletics and academics; achievement is more important than play. This book shows how learning through play is vital to a child's development and fostering their unique personality. A creative childhood is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children, and Pica offers techniques on how to raise a child with the right balance of play and structured activity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rae Pica is an internationally recognized educational consultant specializing in movement education and early childhood. In addition to presenting workshops and keynotes, she has also consulted for such groups as the Sesame Street research department, the Head Start Bureau, Centers for Disease Control, Nickelodeon's Blues Clues, and a number of state health departments throughout the country. Pica is the author of Your Active Child and is the most published writer in the movement education field, with 15 books on the topic to her credit. She has been featured or quoted in numerous print and online publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Parents, and ePregnancy.com, as well as television and radio progams. She lives in Center Barnstead, New Hampshire. Her website is www.movingandlearning.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569242844
• ISBN-13: 978-1569242841
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #759,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > For Children

More About the Author

I have been a children's physical activity specialist since 1980. A former adjunct instructor with the University of New Hampshire, I'm the author of 18 books, including the award-winning Great Games for Young Children, the Moving & Learning Series, and A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity, and Free Time Create a Successful Child, written for the parents of children birth to age eight. I present workshops and keynote speeches for parents and professionals throughout North America and have been privileged to share my expertise with such groups as the Sesame Street Research Department, the Head Start Bureau, Centers for Disease Control, Nickelodeon's 'Blue's Clues,' and a number of state health departments. I also served on the task force of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) that created Active Start: A Statement of Physical Activity Guidelines for Children Birth to Five Years, and I serve on several advisory boards. Oh, and I'm the founder and director of Moving & Learning!

I currently live on a lake in Center Barnstead, New Hampshire, with my three fabulous and funny cats but am hoping to move someplace "without winter" in the very near future!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Importance of Play and Discovery in Raising Children, April 30, 2007

By 

Susan M. Heim "Susan M. Heim is the author of... (South Florida, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child (Paperback)

In "A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child," Rae Pica, an internationally recognized educational consultant in early childhood and movement education, shares her techniques for raising children "with the right balance of free play and structured activity." According to Pica, "Today, we have considerable research proving that . . . movement, play, and physical activity contribute to brain and intellectual development." Too often, she contends, we're so focused on "achievement" and "competition" that we're not allowing our children just to have their childhoods. We buy them the most high-tech gadgets and hurry them from one class to another, but "old-fashioned play and physical experiences offer the best opportunities for brain development"--NOT "the latest gadgets and gear." This book is also sprinkled with Play & Learn Activities that provide great ideas for parents to bring fun and play back into their homes and yards.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The importance of not pushing the child to make them 'first' in everything., May 6, 2007

By 

Bobbie "Babs" (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child (Paperback)

Rae Pica has a full grasp of what is, and what isn't important in the raising of healthy kids. Stressing that the 'right' pre-school, the 'right' kindergarten, etc. may not necessarily be right, and may not be necessary. Not hurrying childrens' skills, not enrolling them in every activity under the sun, not aspiring FOR them - these are excellent points made in the book. In one of her Reality Checks, Rae quotes Booker T. Washington when he said "The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts". This could be the title of this book; and it's an excellent read if you're wondering whether or not your children are getting lost in an "electronic world". And if you are wondering, they probably are, and you should read this very good book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go out into nature and "play", May 6, 2007

By 

Youth Services Librarian - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child (Paperback)

Physical activity specialist, Rae Pica values childhood. In her wonderful new book, "A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child" Pica gives guidelines that will help parents raise children with the right balance of structured activity and free play.
Today's children seem to go non-stop from one structured afternoon activity to another with little time to themselves to be creative and solve problems. Before children can become successful adults, they need to be children and children learn through play. The best way we can give them a "running start" is to help them to succeed naturally, exploring the outdoors, enjoying and inventing their own games. Parents will hopefully use the phrase "Go Outside and Play" more often after reading this excellent book, written by an internationally recognized educational consultant, who really knows kids! Kudos, Rae, from Marianne Berkes, author of nature-awareness picture books for children.