Learn To Play

This book provides the background, theoretical underpinnings and the process and principles of Learn to Play Therapy. Learn to Play Therapy has been developed and refined for over 25 years. This book is written for therapists who work with children aged 12 months to 8 years. It is a therapeutic approach for children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental difficulties, and children who find playing spontaneously, perplexing. Learn to Play Therapy focusses on building a child's ability to self-initiate spontaneous pretend play ability. Pretend play is associated with social competence, narrative, language, self-regulation, creativity and problem solving. The book is a complete revision of the first edition Learn to Play book which was published by Co-ordinates Publications. The second edition is 314 pages and includes 114 play activities, parent handouts, and a Play Background Checklist. A USB is provided with the book and contains the printable pages. Play assessment is the first step in Learn to Play Therapy as an understanding of a child's self-initiated pretend play ability informs which play activities to choose to begin the therapeutic process. The Pretend Play Enjoyment Developmental Checklist (Stagnitti, 2017) and the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment 2 (Stagnitti, 2019) are recommended to be used with Learn to Play Therapy. The theoretical underpinnings of Learn to Play Therapy are informed by Axline, Vygotsky, and the neurobiology of play. The process and principles are explained in depth with Chapters 1 to 3 providing an unfolding explanation, starting with an overview and becoming more detailed across the three Chapters. This second edition also has a chapter on working with parents, questions and answers, and case studies. The play skills cover: engaging activities for those children who show no enjoyment or understanding of play; pre-pretend play activities for children who require therapy to begin on the very early levels of play; and the pretend play skills of sequences of play action, describing and explaining, object substitution, doll/teddy play, play scripts, role play, social pretend play, attributing properties and absent objects, problems in the play and predicting what will happen next. An extensive reference list is included.

When trainers use games, learners win big. As a trainer interested in game design, you know that games are more effective than lectures. You've seen firsthand how immersive games hold learners' interest, helping them explore new skills and experience different points of view. But how do you become the Milton Bradley of learning games? Play to Learn is here to help. This book bridges the gap between instructional design and game design; it's written to grow your game literacy and strengthen crucial game design skills. Experts Sharon Boller and Karl Kapp share real examples of in-person and online games, and offer an online game for you to try as you read. They walk you through evaluating entertainment and learning games, so you can apply the best to your own designs. Play to Learn will also show you how to: Link game design to your business needs and learning objectives. Test your prototype and refine your design. Deploy your game to motivated and excited learners. So don't just play around. Think big, design well, and use Play to Learn as your guide.

The innovative and creative games in "Learning to Play, Playing to Learn foster social skills to help young people deal with conflict without resorting to violence. It guides parents and educators in helping children identify their own set of values and feelings while playing with others. It also discusses several ways to modify popular games to encourage fairness and trust in children and encourages the use of healthy play techniques to increase self-esteem, cooperation, personal responsibility, and emotional and physical health.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

A GIANT COLLECTION OF HANDS-ON KIDS ACTIVITIES. The perfect book to have on hand for inspiring you on holidays, weekends, or anytime the kids just need something to do! A fun mix of hands-on fun with learning, celebrating, and appreciating family time.

"Aimed at complete beginners, children can easily follow the clear and simple diagrams and pictures to learn their first notes, play fun tunes and gain confidence playing their first Keyboard! This great beginner's book also provides a fantastic introduction to reading and playing music, includes a fun pull-out Wall Chart to help with practice, and will have kids playing their first tunes in no time! " --P. [4] of cover.

Music Professor Damon Ferrante guides children five and up through how to play the guitar with step-by-step lessons for beginners and streaming video lessons. This easy-to-follow method, used by thousands of guitar students and teachers, is designed to be interactive, engaging and fun. It is specifically crafted to suit the needs of all children beginning the guitar. No music reading is required! Learn great guitar songs! Each child learns how to play the guitar and read music through playing famous and beautiful songs and pieces. Along the way, there are jokes, illustrations, and characters that make learning exciting and engaging. Based on over twenty-five years of guitar teaching experience, Damon Ferrante's piano books are used by thousands of piano students and teachers. The Little Piano Book will greatly improve your child's piano technique, song repertoire, creativity, and understanding of music. * Ode to Joy by Beethoven * Amazing Grace * Happy Birthday * Jingle Bells * Yankee Doodle * When the Saints Go Marching In * Scarborough Fair * Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star * Mary had a Little Lamb * Take Me Out to the Ballgame * Michael, Row the Boat Ashore * House of the Rising Sun * This Little Light of Mine * Home on the Range * Shenandoah *And Many More Great Songs and Pieces!