The Brain That Loves To Play

This delightful visual book provides an accessible introduction to how play affects the holistic development and brain growth of children from birth to five years. Written by a leading expert, it brings current theory to life by inviting the reader to celebrate the developing brain that loves to play and is hungry for sensitive human interaction and rich play opportunities. Packed full of images and links to film clips of children playing in a variety of contexts on the companion website, chapters focus on different ages and stages of development, providing snapshots of real play scenarios to explore their play preferences and the theory that underpins their play behaviour. With clear explanations of what is happening in the body and brain at each "stage," this book reveals the richness of the play opportunities on offer and the adult’s role in facilitating it. Each chapter follows an easy-to-navigate format which includes: • Best practice boxes showing how play in different contexts has impacted a child’s development • QR codes linking to short film clips on a companion website to exemplify key points • Brain and body facts sections providing short accessible explanations of key theories • Play and pedagogy discussion questions • Extended material to support the level four descriptors for degree-level study. With opportunities to dig deeper, full-colour photographs, and a fully integrated companion website, The Brain that Loves to Play is essential reading for all early years students and practitioners and all those with an interest in child development.

"This delightful visual book provides an accessible introduction to how play affects the holistic development and brain growth of children from birth to five years. Written by a leading expert, it brings current theory to life by inviting the reader to celebrate the developing brain that loves to play and is hungry for sensitive human interaction and rich play opportunities. Packed full of images and links to film clips of children playing in a variety of contexts on the companion website, chapters focus on different ages and stages of development, providing snapshots of real play scenarios to explore their play preferences and the theory that underpins their play behaviour. With clear explanations of what is happening in the body and brain at each 'stage', the book reveals the richness of the play opportunities on offer and the adult's role in facilitating it. Each chapter follows an easy to navigate format which includes: - Best Practice boxes showing how play in different contexts has impacted a child's development - QR codes linking to short film clips on a companion website to exemplify key points - Brain & Body Facts sections providing short accessible explanations of key theories - Play and Pedagogy discussion questions - Extended material to support the level four descriptors for degree level study. With opportunities to dig deeper, full colour photographs and a fully integrated companion website, The Brain that Loves to Play is essential reading for all early years students and practitioners and all those with an interest in child development"--

A groundbreaking book on the science of play, and its essential role in fuelling our intelligence and happiness throughout our lives. We’ve all seen the happiness in the face of a child who’s playing in the school yard. Or the blissful abandon of a golden retriever racing with glee across a lawn. This is the joy of play. By definition, play is purposeless and all-consuming. And, most important, it’s fun. As we become adults, taking time to play feels like a guilty pleasure — a distraction from ‘real’ work and life. But as Dr Stuart Brown illustrates, play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition, and the mechanism by which we become resilient, smart, and adaptable people. In fact, our ability to play throughout life is the single most important factor in determining our success and happiness. Dr Brown has spent his career studying animal behaviour and conducting more than 6000 ‘play histories’ of humans from all walks of life — from serial murderers to Nobel Prize winners. In Play, he provides a sweeping look at the latest breakthroughs in our understanding of play and its implications for our lives, including its role in child development and the way we parent; education and social policy; business innovation; productivity; and even the future of our society. A fascinating blend of cutting-edge neuroscience, biology, psychology, social science, and inspiring human stories of the transformative power of play, this book proves why play just might be the most important work we can ever do.

Love Builds Brains, lays out the early years' journey of attachment, self-regulation, connection, resilience and well-being, with scientific explanations that are measured out in understandable doses. We hear the author's voice throughout the chapters as she tells clinical and personal stories to amplify her points and perspective. She speaks from a population perspective, berating the poor world rankings of Canada on various OECD reports and then speaks to the individual level of our involvement with children suggesting prevention and management strategies. In the book, there's a strong and appropriate emphasis on early years' development, but there's also attention to the adolescent brain. This book is full of scientifically-based wisdom in a conversational style. The book addresses and offers approaches to understand and respond to issues of anxiety, stress, behavour, attachment, resilience and recovery. As a child psychatrist, Dr. Clinton provides ample brain research information to undergird her suggestions for parents, teachers and others who work with children. The final chapter on our digital world points to some ways to manage how children use media time. Dr. Clinton works very hard to advocate for children and youth and to translate the sciences that have uncovered more about the workings of the brain and mind. She sees her role as a Knowledge Translator, bringing insights to groups of people by making research and knowledge accessible.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

A bestselling author, neuroscientist, and computer engineer unveils a theory of intelligence that will revolutionize our understanding of the brain and the future of AI. For all of neuroscience's advances, we've made little progress on its biggest question: How do simple cells in the brain create intelligence? Jeff Hawkins and his team discovered that the brain uses maplike structures to build a model of the world—not just one model, but hundreds of thousands of models of everything we know. This discovery allows Hawkins to answer important questions about how we perceive the world, why we have a sense of self, and the origin of high-level thought. A Thousand Brains heralds a revolution in the understanding of intelligence. It is a big-think book, in every sense of the word. One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2021 One of Bill Gates' Five Favorite Books of 2021

A psychological analysis based on the author's studies in play behavior reveals how play is essential to the development of social skills, problem-solving abilities, and creativity.

What’s the single most important thing you can do during pregnancy? What does watching TV do to a child’s brain? What’s the best way to handle temper tantrums? Scientists know. In his New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina showed us how our brains really work—and why we ought to redesign our workplaces and schools. Now, in Brain Rules for Baby, he shares what the latest science says about how to raise smart and happy children from zero to five. This book is destined to revolutionize parenting. Just one of the surprises: The best way to get your children into the college of their choice? Teach them impulse control. Brain Rules for Baby bridges the gap between what scientists know and what parents practice. Through fascinating and funny stories, Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and dad, unravels how a child’s brain develops – and what you can do to optimize it. You will view your children—and how to raise them—in a whole new light. You’ll learn: Where nature ends and nurture begins Why men should do more household chores What you do when emotions run hot affects how your baby turns out, because babies need to feel safe above all TV is harmful for children under 2 Your child’s ability to relate to others predicts her future math performance Smart and happy are inseparable. Pursuing your child’s intellectual success at the expense of his happiness achieves neither Praising effort is better than praising intelligence The best predictor of academic performance is not IQ. It’s self-control What you do right now—before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and through the first five years—will affect your children for the rest of their lives. Brain Rules for Baby is an indispensable guide.