Includes bibliographical references and index.

Theories of play -- Child development through play / Stephanie Creekpaum -- Pretend play in the classroom : helping children grow / Sandra W. Russ & Alexis W. Lee -- Understanding play -- Play as communication / Brenda Lovegrove Lepisto -- From reaction to reflection : mentalizating in early childhood education / Norka Malberg -- Play in the classroom -- Play in the emotional and cognitive life of a preschooler / Steve Tuber -- Being a playful teacher / Peter Blake -- Mine! no, mine!! interaction in children's play / Jill Bellinson -- Techniques of play -- Art-making experiences for young children affected by traumatic experiences / Ann-Marie Mott -- Young children's musicality : relating with rhythm / Sophie Alcock -- Promoting identity development through memory narratives / Elaine Reese and Tia Neha -- Specialized needs for play -- Trauma and identity / Marilyn Charles -- Working with difficult and hard to understand children / Ionas Sapountzis -- Culture and play -- Creating reflective space in the classroom / Ana Archangelo and Fabio Camargo Bandera Villela -- Cultural issues in relation to play for teachers / Athena Drewes -- Culture and play as key elements of identity formation and academic performance for children of color in primary education / Kirkland C. Vaughans and Renee Vaughans -- Teachers and play -- Engaging children in healing work / Michael O¿Loughlin -- Teacher stress : impact, challenges, and solutions / Deborah Mugno and Jennifer Reid -- Afterword / Jill Bellinson -- Index.