Play Stories - by Katelyn Clark (Paperback)

About the Book

"Play Stories invites early childhood educators to reflect deeply on their own childhood experiences and adult play and build their understanding of how their own identities shape their perspectives on children's play. Writing the stories of their own play provides a new platform for educators to understand their play pedagogy from a more holistic perspective and to identify where they really playfully shine in their classrooms, to become more invested in the play of their students"--

Book Synopsis

Inform your teaching using your own play history. Play Stories invites early childhood educators to reflect deeply on their own childhood experiences and adult play and build their understanding of how their own identities shape their perspectives on children's play. Katelyn Clark's model for uncovering and telling play stories is revealed through four educators' personal play narratives: the Puzzler, the Character, the Explorer, and the Maker. Writing the stories of their own play provides a new platform for educators to understand their play pedagogy from a more holistic perspective and to identify where they playfully shine in their classrooms, thus becoming more invested in the play of their students.

Review Quotes

Brilliant! Katelyn Clark's guided exploration into the importance of reflecting on childhood play experiences is a must-read for any educator aiming to create an inclusive and thriving play environment. Play Stories beautifully highlights the importance of revisiting one's own play memories and harnessing that joy and insight to enrich teaching practice. 

--Chessa Kenney, MS Ed, Executive Director, AT PLAY: A Community Playspace, Inc.

Play Stories is a thought-provoking and essential read for anyone in the field of education. By reflecting on personal play memories, we can challenge assumptions and address areas of play that cause discomfort. Educators can develop a more holistic and effective approach to integrating play into their teaching practice. Author Katelyn Clark takes educators on a reflective and insightful journey into the world of play, fostering introspection and self-awareness, developing a play identity, and making connections to their own practice to create enriching learning environments for children.

--Miriam Beloglovsky, author of Just Play! Inspiring Adult Play in Early Childhood Education

About the Author

Katelyn Clark holds a PhD in Early Childhood from Rutgers University. She has taught in early childhood, elementary, and higher education settings for close to twenty-four years. This book is the culmination of two of her research studies.