Big Body Play

P/B • 112 Pages
ISBN 9781928896715

Why Boisterous, Vigorous, and Very Physical Play is Essential to Children’s Development and Learning

Big Body Play,  the sometimes rowdy, always very physical running, rolling, climbing, tagging, jumping, grabbing, and wrestling that most children love and many adults try to shut down can and should be an integral part of every early child setting. Drawing from evidence-based practice and the latest research, this book explains the multitude of benefits of big body play for young children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Also learn how to organize the physical environment, set rules and policies, and supervise the play.

Contents:

How I Came to Write This Book … and Why it is Needed    
About this book
 

Chapter 1: What Is Big Body Play
Types of big body play
Why big body play is essential?
Continuum of young children’s physical development
Reservations and misunderstanding about big body play
The myth that rough-and-tumble play is aggression

Chapter 2: Benefits of Play, and Big Body Play in Particular
What kind and how much physical activity?
Evolution and brain development
Growing and moving
Feeling and interacting
Communicating
Thinking

Chapter 3: Strategies for Implementing Big Body Play
Managing risk
Establishing policies for safe, effective big body play
Setting up the environment
Less (play equipment) is more (big body play)
Supporting big body play
Communicating and collaboration with families

 Frequently Asked Questions about big Body Play

Appendix
A: Turning Finger Play into Big Body Play
B: Sample Handbook Policies for Big Body Play
C: Training Staff on Rough-and-Tumble Play
D: Sample Letter for Families
E: Sample Documentation Panel

References