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Playing and talking

2 Mar 2012

Play is a time for babies and children to develop and expand their communication skills through experimentation and practice.  A running theme throughout the articles below is that it is important that babies and children are given enough time, and freedom, to direct their own play and fully engage with it. Below you will find our resources designed to help you get the most out of play time, news and articles on play and further resources from other sites and organisations.

Talk To Your Baby play resources

• Quick Tips: playing with your baby
• Playing and talking

Information and resources on play’s importance, development and structure

• 10 reasons why play is important
• The difference between work and play
• Play is what I do
• Learning and play - Family & Parenting Institute leaflet
• Government launches outdoor play resources  
• Rough and tumble play 
• Let's explore...dolls and dolls houses
• Go with the flow - advice for practitioners on learning through play experiences
• What shall I play with today? Opportunities for encouraging children to make choices
• Playing it up - the role of play in development
• Play space vital for tots

News archive articles about play

• The truth about play
• Little Wonder 
• Petition to make the provision of play services a statutory obligation for local authorities in the UK 
• Understanding play 
• When play becomes a very serious business 
• Are children being deprived of play skills by parents?
• More play needed in KS1
• Toys are simply the best

Projects focusing on play

• Leap of faith 
• Play's the thing 
• 'Thinking' project given grant
• When literacy is a puzzle, it's fun to learn
• Make believe can make a difference
• The importance of play

Further resources on play.

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