How family video game play promotes intergenerational communication, connection, and learning. Video games have a bad reputation in the mainstream media. They are blamed for encouraging social isolation, promoting violence, and creating tensions between parents and children. In this book, Sinem Siyahhan and Elisabeth Gee offer another view. They show that video games can be a tool for connection, not isolation, creating opportunities for families to communicate and learn together. Like smartphones, Skype, and social media, games help families stay connected. Siyahhan and Gee offer examples: One family treats video game playing as a regular and valued activity, and bonds over Halo. A father tries to pass on his enthusiasm for Star Wars by playing Lego Star Wars with his young son. Families express their feelings and share their experiences and understanding of the world through playing video games like The Sims, Civilization, and Minecraft. Some video games are designed specifically to support family conversations around such real-world issues and sensitive topics as bullying and peer pressure. Siyahhan and Gee draw on a decade of research to look at how learning and teaching take place when families play video games together. With video games, they argue, the parents are not necessarily the teachers and experts; all family members can be both teachers and learners. They suggest video games can help families form, develop, and sustain their learning culture as well as develop skills that are valued in the twenty-first century workplace. Educators and game designers should take note.

This classic volume, now completely revised, has helped tens of thousands of therapists integrate play therapy and family therapy techniques in clinical practice. Eliana Gil demonstrates a broad range of verbal and nonverbal strategies for engaging all family members--including those who are ambivalent toward therapy--and tailoring interventions for different types of presenting problems. Numerous case examples illustrate ways to effectively use puppets, storytelling, art making, the family play genogram, drama, and other expressive techniques with children, adolescents, and their parents. Gil offers specific guidance for becoming a more flexible, creative practitioner and shows how recent advances in neuroscience support her approach. Photographs of client artwork are included. New to This Edition *Incorporates 20 years of clinical experience and the ongoing development of Gil's influential integrative approach. *All-new case material. *Discusses how current brain research can inform creative interventions. *Heightened focus on personal metaphors, complete with detailed suggestions for exploring and processing them.

National Outdoor Book Award Winner: A fun, practical guide to outdoor play that sparks a connection to nature vital to children’s healthy development. Today children and families are often plugged into electronics and disconnected from direct experiences in nature. This beautifully photographed resource offers tangible approaches to nature-based learning and play for children. Parents and teachers can discover the benefits of outdoor learning and simple ways to facilitate unplugged nature connection in every season. Inspired by nature preschools, forest kindergartens, and forest school models the world over, this guide also includes “Voices from the Field” with advice from experienced nature-based educators. Balancing nature play experiences with hands-on projects using natural materials, it’s an ideal jumping off point for immersive nature play. Examples include: Wildlife observation and tracking Nature sounds, songs, and poetry Gardening and cooking with wild edibles Printmaking, charcoal drawing, dyeing, and shadow play Journaling inspired by nature “Voices from the Field” includes more ideas and tips contributed by leading educators, including: Sally Anderson, Sol Forest School, Tijeras, New Mexico * Yash Bhagwanji, Florida Atlantic University * Lauren Brown, Asheville Farmstead School * Peter Dargatz, Woodside Elementary School, Sussex, Wisconsin * Monica French, Wild Haven Forest Preschool and Childcare, Baltimore, Maryland * Patricia Leon, Miami Nature Playschool * Sheila William Ridge, Shirley G. Moore Lab School, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota * Beth Savitz, Irvine Nature Center, Owings Mills, Maryland * Maria Soboleski, New Mexico School for the Deaf * Paige Vonder Haar, Bunnell House Early Childhood Lab School, Fairbanks, Alaska * Susie Wirth, Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Foundation

The Maine Play Book is a thought-fully curated guidebook gives parents an insider's perspective of Maine through a mother's eyes. Organized by season, each section features farms, nature preserves, and parks, as well as events and activities for families.

Young ones can carry photos of those they love most, wherever they go. Laminate windows protect the photos on each page. A convenient tote handle fits young hands perfectly.

Would you love to have more fun with friends and family? Whether you want to (1) know some of the best games of all time, (2) entertain yourself and others with inexpensive and exciting games or (3) find healthy and fun ways of playing with your friends and family, this book will teach you everything you need to know. Everybody loves a good game. People have been playing games to keep themselves entertained for centuries. From children's made-up play to high-stakes contests that demand the highest level of competitive prowess, games are a natural activity that is a part of all cultures. In this book you will discover an incredible variety of games that will bring hours upon hours of joy into your life! Games keep your mind sharp. There's no need to stop playing, no matter your age. Bond with grandkids over a game of tic-tac-toe. Connect with parents over a game of cards. Have memorable and fun times with your friends. Teach kids how to play the best classic games of all time. Even the simplest game can work to keep your mind sharp and give your competitive nature a healthy outlet. A game is also a fun way to spend time with your sweetheart; just don't gloat if you win! Kids need games. Kids and games are a natural fit. After all, most children, left to their own devices, will naturally invent their own games. Game playing encourages creative thinking and provides a structure for children to safely experiment with different ways of interacting and problem-solving. Besides, they're a lot more fun than just sitting around staring at a screen all day! Games are for everybody. While many people think game-playing is just for children, it is just as important for adults. Games relieve stress, provide a hub for social interaction, and are just plain fun! This book contains exciting games for all age groups and social circles. Get ready to enjoy some of the best classic games of all time. At the same time, discover new games you can play with your whole family. Introduce your friends to the refreshing joy of game playing. Take a break from work and launch into a solo game. Life is so much more enjoyable when you spice it up with games! What Will You Discover About Games? Lots of games that children love. A large variety of free and inexpensive games. How to stimulate your creativity by playing games. Great games to play with your adult friends. How to use games to strengthen your bond with others. You Will Also Learn: The best games to play when on your own. Great ideas for creating your own activities and games. Some of the best classic games of all time, Great games for the whole family. Recapture the carefree joy of playing games. It's time to play: Buy It Now!

By combining both play and family treatment modalities as this unique book, Family Play Therapy, suggests, therapists can include all family members in a therapeutic process that is more meaningful and therefore more successful.

Play Therapy and Families: A Collaborative Approach to Healing provides a thorough description of play from prominent academics, researchers, and relevant writers who review it historically. It contains a unique approach for helping families, outlining an in-depth review of play and its relevancy to healing for children and families, putting forth a brand new Collaborative Play Therapy Model. The application to healing and psychotherapy follows, outlining the directive and non-directive orientations to healing, models that are current in the literature, and selected family-based play therapy models. An extensive overview of family therapy and associated models is presented as a foundation for the reader in order to relate play and family therapy from an academic point of view. This provides the theoretical background for the chapters on play therapy approaches that follow. Family play therapy addresses the inclusion of the family with techniques that contribute to healing. Narrative play therapy is presented with an in depth historical account and the phases of the narrative approach. Filial and theraplay models of play therapy are presented with an account of their development and focus on the phases of intervention for children and families. The book concludes with a sandtray approach to working with adoptive families, rounding out this collection’s presentation of current and researched models of play therapy.

Integrative Play Therapy with Individuals, Families and Groups is a complete theory-to-practice introduction to a comprehensive integrative model of play therapy, developed by Shlomo Ariel. It synthesizes numerous concepts, methods and techniques found in the various branches of play theory and research under a unified conceptual and linguistic roof of information-processing, cybernetics and semiotics. The author's tenet is that any case, whatever the presenting difficulties, can be treated by such an integrative, multi-systemic approach. This book abounds with vivid observations and case descriptions, followed by discussions in a fictional inter-disciplinary seminar. Every chapter is followed by a brief summary, homework assignments and a classified list of relevant publications. Integrative Play Therapy with Individuals, Families and Groups will generate immense interest throughout the play therapy community. It can serve as a textbook for budding play therapists and as a reference book for more experienced practitioners.

Play therapy and family therapy both are well established therapeutic paradigms. Often, however, play therapists have minimal contact with the nuclear family of which their child patient is a member. Similarly, family therapists frequently view young children as disruptive and exclude them from family sessions. By combining both play and family treatment modalities as this unique book Family Play Therapy suggests, all family members can participate in a therapeutic process which, in its inclusion of everyone, is more genuine and therefore successful. Family Play Therapy encourages the blending of play therapy and family therapy by discussing and demonstrating various techniques and diverse theoretical approaches that will enable readers to broaden their repertoire when working with families and their young children. Each author describes his or her own creative avenue of expression such as puppetry, psychodrama, and sandplay, which facilitate the family's communication, helping members to find new ways to hear each other. Family play therapy and play therapy need not be exclusionary. The two approaches actually can enhance and enrich each other. While each therapist ultimately will use his or her own ideas in the critical combining of both methods, Family Play Therapy offers various possibilities and as such, helps therapists to help their family patients to be readily engaged in treatment and to experience therapy as a fun, inclusive, transforming time together.