The Cambridge Handbook of Play

Advance praise: 'The amount of time that should be devoted to play in early childhood education and the potential benefits it might bring remain contentious issues. For those seeking a larger, cross-species and cross-cultural panorama on play, this Handbook will be refreshing. With contributions from a multidisciplinary set of authors, Smith and Roopnarine have assembled a weighty - but uplifting - Handbook.' Paul Lansley Harris, Harvard University Advance praise: 'Smith and Roopnarine bring together leaders in the scholarly study of play to create a rich, authoritative resource that provides theoretical frameworks, historical evidence, and up-to-date findings about the many contexts in which play occurs. While each chapter is valuable on its own, the individual contributions are even more significant as part of this collection.' Dana Gross, St Olaf College, Minnesota Advance praise: 'The editors of this Handbook assemble the most current thinking and research on play, ranging from its evolutionary origins and development across the lifespan, to play theory and empirical methods, to its impact on learning and overall wellbeing, to its educative and therapeutic applications, and to the influence of family and culture. Forget the shelf, this book belongs on every play scholar's desk.' Rick Worch, Bowling Green State University, Ohio Advance praise: 'A fascinating mix of play theory, practice and practicalities, this comprehensive Handbook offers an in-depth insight into the complexities of play research. Students and seasoned researchers alike will be challenged to consider their own approaches to play and play research by the diverse biological, sociocultural, theoretical and methodological perspectives presented in this book.' Shelly Newstead, Common Threads