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

by Rae Pica (Author)
Key Phrases: nonlocomotor skills, authentic play, finding creatures, David Elkind, Eric Jensen, New York Times (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

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.

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Product Details Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 20, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 1569242844 ISBN-13: 978-1569242841 Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 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.com Sales Rank: #584,722 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
nonlocomotor skills, authentic play, finding creatures, playground ball

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
David Elkind, Eric Jensen, New York Times, Pop Warner, Tiger Woods, Atlantic Monthly, Ivy League, Jane Healy, John Stuart Mills

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 28 books:

• Learning with the Body in Mind by Eric Jensen on page 24, and Back Matter
• Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford on page 134, and Back Matter
• Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety by Judith Warner on page 219, and Back Matter
• Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary School Curriculum by Phyllis Gelineau on page 123
• Peyton Place and Return to Peyton Place (Modern Classics) by Grace Metalious on page 178

See all 28 books this book cites

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Your Active Child by Rae Pica

Discusses:

• nonlocomotor skills
• finding creatures
• David Elkind

Your Active Child by Rae Pica Discusses: nonlocomotor skills finding creatures David Elkind Loading...

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6 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 2 of 2 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 (REAL NAME)    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  B. Frasca (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    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 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.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Opening Mind to the Problems with Our School System This is a great book for opening your mind to some of the problems with our school system. Everything is written and quoted to support the writer's core beliefs. Read more Published 18 months ago by C. Leahy 5.0 out of 5 stars Help for Parents' of Young Children The "Running Start" is essential reading for every parent of a young child. Many parents are feeling the stress of lives that are filled with too many commitments----that are... Read more Published on February 1, 2007 by Rebecca Isbell 5.0 out of 5 stars An important book for parents of young children... What a terrific new book! A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child is a MUST READ for any parent with a young child. Read more Published on January 21, 2007 by P. Stevens Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569242844
• ISBN-13: 978-1569242841
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 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.com Sales Rank: #584,722 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 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 (REAL NAME)

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	B. Frasca (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

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.