A chapter to explore

Play & Learning

Books, making things and activities that leave room for children’s ideas.

Play & Learning

A cardboard town that can grow across an afternoon

Start with one building and a road, then let the children decide what their town needs next.

Play & Learning

Set out a small selection that children can recognize, reach and put away with the help they need.

Play & Learning

Look at reading, waiting and handling pieces as well as the age printed on the box.

Play & Learning

Let shared reading include favorite pages, questions and the option to stop before the final sentence.

Play & Learning

Give drawing a defined surface and a short cleanup route so it can happen without a full-room setup.

Play & Learning

Turn a familiar walk into a noticing game without collecting objects or racing to finish a list.

Play & Learning

Make a pretend store with large, familiar props and let the play decide what gets sold.

Play & Learning

Choose a puzzle and a place that allow people to join, leave and return without losing the shared project.

Play & Learning

Give borrowed books a home and make returning them part of the same routine as choosing new ones.

Play & Learning

Use a few kinds of paper and a broad surface so children can arrange, change and glue their own compositions.