Publications by Chief Play Scientist

Cover of a book titled "Everything is Possible: Play as Portal to Just Futures Volume 3, No. 2" with a space-themed background. It features a baby cradled in a yellow baby carrier, a child playing with stacking blocks, a small child in red pajamas with a cape, a cutout of a child's face with a sign saying "Let our kids play" and a cutout of the word "FREEDOM" in blue, with a group of green pears. The cover includes logos and credits for guest editors and artwork by Akiea 'Ki' Gross.

Can We All Be Free? Stories of Collective Liberation Through Play

Cover of a book titled 'Play and Social Justice: Equity, Advocacy, and Opportunity,' edited by Olga S. Jarrett, Vera L. Stenhouse, John A. Sutterby, and Michael M. Patte, with works by 28 contributors. The cover features a wooden fence with colorful signs reading 'teamwork,' 'tolerance,' 'courage,' 'Everything I need to know...', and 'I learned on the playground' in a wooded outdoor setting.

The Freedom to Play: Play as a Tool for Liberation

Illustration of a large hand holding strings attached to people, symbolizing control or influence. The background is blue, and there is a badge that says 'SPEC 2022'. The title reads 'The Commodification of American Education: Persistent Threats and Paths Forward', edited by T. Jameson Brewer and William Gregory Harman.

Resisting Neoliberal Reforms in Early Childhood Education: Play Pedagogy as the Antidote to GERM

Publications by Play Scholars

Children playing on a rope swing in a wooded forest with sunlight filtering through the trees.

Let The Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive by Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle

Lisa Murphy on Play: The Foundation of Children's Learning by Lisa Murphy.

Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart M. Brown Jr. and Christopher Vaughan

Book cover titled 'Free to Learn' by Peter Gray, featuring a photograph of two children sitting on a log in a wooded area, engaging with each other.

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray.

Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood by Amanda Morgan

Young child holding colorful mallets, wearing a floral sunhat, with book title about using schema play theory to advocate for free play in early childhood.

Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood by Heather Bernt-Santy

Rethinking Weapon Play in Early Childhood by Kisa Marx & Samuel Broaden