Play Development

We've all seen the happiness on the face of a child while playing in the school yard. Or the blissful abandon of a golden retriever racing across a lawn. This is the joy of play. By definition, play is purposeless, all-consuming, and fun. But as Dr. Stuart Brown illustrates, play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. We are designed by nature to flourish through play.

MOM'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER From renowned parent expert Caroline Maguire, Why Will No One Play with Me? is a groundbreaking program that has helped thousands of children struggling with social skills to make friends, find acceptance, and have a happy childhood. Every parent wants their child to be...

Free Play is directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity. Filled with unusual quotes, amusing and illuminating anecdotes, and original metaphors, it reveals how inspiration arises within us; how that inspiration may be blocked, derailed, or obscured by certain unavoidable facts of life; and how it can finally be liberated - how we can be liberated - to speak or sing, write or paint, dance or play.

The Law of Attraction is not about wishful thinking or blind optimism. It is about learning how your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and expectations shape the direction of your life before visible action takes place. This collection brings together the most influential manifestation and abundance texts ever written. These works teach you how to shift your inner assumptions, remove resistance, and consciously direct success, money, and opportunity in any area of your life.

Drawing from the philosophy of all-time great Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski that what just happened isn’t nearly as important as what is happening right now—your Next Play—and his work with top brands such as Pepsi, Charles Schwab, American Express, Spotify, and Starbucks, this book contains 34 powerfully simple strategies and 35 practical exercises designed to show how reaching the top of your game doesn’t require more. It requires less but better.

The simple way to help your kids face their fears, handle big emotions, and bolster their social skills—from the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Whole-Brain Child and a renowned play therapist “A parenting guide as useful as it is scientifically sound, The Way of Play is a gift...

Baffling and beloved, with the capacity to go from joy to frustration in seconds, young children are some of the most misunderstood people on the planet. Parents and caregivers struggle with these little ones, who are known for their extreme behaviour, from tantrums, resistance, and aggression to separation anxiety, bedtime protests, and not listening. The key to understanding youngsters lies in realizing that their challenging behaviour is not personal, nor is it a disorder or deficit.

The founders of a respected Silicon Valley advisory firm study legendary category-creating companies and reveal a groundbreaking discipline called category design. Winning today isn’t about beating the competition at the old game. It’s about inventing a whole new game—defining a new market...

Top 10 Games You Can Play in Your Head, by Yourself is a collection of visionary author J. Theophrastus Bartholomew's most cherished mind games, edited and updated by filmmaker and storyteller Sam Gorski and author D.F. Lovett. No peripherals needed. No controllers. No pens. No dice or boards. Everything you need to experience the forefront of game design is right here in this audiobook!

The new way to transform a sales culture with clarity, authenticity, and emotional intelligence. Too often, the sales process is all about fear. Customers are afraid that they will be talked into making a mistake; salespeople dread being unable to close the deal and make their quotas. No one is...

The Power of Play: How Games and Imagination Shape Cognitive and Social Development Play is not just fun—it is one of the most powerful forces in human growth. From the building blocks of early childhood to the collaborative games of adolescence and even the hobbies of adulthood, play shapes the brain, fosters creativity, and builds the social skills that last a lifetime. In this engaging and research-based book, The Practical Atlas explores how different forms of play promote learning, resilience, and connection. Discover how pretend play sparks imagination, how physical play strengthens...

Conquer the Child Development Exams: Your Guide to the CDA and Other Early Childhood Certifications is a concise and accessible study aid created to help early childhood educators focus on the most essential concepts in preparation for certification. Whether you're pursuing the CDA or another child development credential, this guide simplifies key areas such as developmental stages, observation skills, behavior guidance, classroom setup, and working with families. It explores fundamental topics in child growth, health and safety, learning environments, and inclusive practices—empowering ...

From an acclaimed journalist, this "eye opening and insightful" book shows how global cultures parent in community, sharing practical guidance for American parents on how to reimagine the way they raise their children (Iben Dissing Sandahl, author The Danish Way Of Parenting). Raising kids in...

Beyond the Games People Play: Breaking Free from Psychological Traps to Build Stronger Relationships and Boost Productivity Are you caught in the same repetitive conversations that go nowhere? Do you feel stuck in unproductive patterns at work, home, or with friends? Beyond the Games People Play reveals the hidden psychological games we unconsciously play that keep us trapped in conflict, frustration, and miscommunication—and offers clear, practical strategies to break free. Inspired by Eric Berne’s groundbreaking work on transactional analysis and psychological games, this book takes a...

As a counselor, therapist, parent, or caregiver, you play a crucial role in the development and well-being of children. Yet amidst the flood of information, finding effective, research-backed techniques tailored to diverse needs and ensuring therapeutic goals balance with fun can feel overwhelming. Imagine transforming your child’s playtime into powerful moments of growth and resilience-building using culturally diverse activities that address their unique needs.

In Women Waking Up, Wendy Valentine doesn’t just challenge the outdated narrative of decline and invisibility at midlife—she blows it up and replaces it with a bold, badass manifesto for reinvention. With raw honesty, a wicked sense of humor, and hard-won wisdom, Wendy invites women everywhere to toss aside society’s limiting scripts and step into the most powerful, playful, and purposeful chapter of their lives.

Pioneers of Human Behaviour: Melanie Klein A Gateway to Her Life, Theories, and Legacy Few figures in psychology have provoked as much debate, division, and enduring influence as Melanie Klein. Bold, uncompromising, and original, she redefined psychoanalysis by entering the inner world of children, giving voice to their unconscious conflicts and reshaping how we understand the earliest bonds of life. This concise yet powerful volume distils Klein’s extraordinary career into clear, engaging chapters. From her beginnings in Vienna to her stormy years in London, and from the creation of play...

Raise calmer, more confident kids—and feel steadier as the adult they rely on. This practical collection pairs play therapy activities with science-backed tools for emotional regulation so you can reduce meltdowns, end power struggles faster, and deepen connection at home, in therapy, or in the classroom.

For nearly 25 years, Dr. Kim Van Dusen—a licensed family therapist, registered play therapist, creator of The Parentologist blog, and mom of two—has provided parents with practical, effective ways to transform their parent-child communication by learning to speak in a way kids can understand: the universal language of play. In this pioneering guide, Dr. Kim shares her solution-focused strategies designed to meet kids where they are and elicit positive behaviors.

Reclaim Play delivers an inspiring manifesto on why play is critical for children and a comprehensive how-to for parents to bring back the magic of childhood. Unlock the boundless creativity, imagination, and profound learning that flourish when children immerse themselves in independent play. The narrative of childhood has been rewritten over the past two decades. Play, once synonymous with childhood, has seen a worrying decline, paralleled by a concerning upsurge in children's mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.