A new interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the study of play
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           The American Journal of Play is a
forum for discussing the history, culture, and psychology of play. An interdisciplinary quarterly of Strong National Museum of Play, the Journal aims to increase awareness and understanding of the role of play in learning and human development and the ways in which play illuminates cultural history.

          Published quarterly through the University of Illinois Press, the American Journal of Play is intended for educators, psychologists, play therapists, sociologists, anthropologists, folklorists, historians, museum professionals, toy and game designers, policy makers, and others interested in children and the importance of play.

  

          Peer-reviewed and written in a clear, straightforward style suitable for such a wide readership, the American Journal of Play features articles, essays, opinion pieces, interviews, and book reviews in child development, education, psychology, sociology, anthropology, neuroscience, history, popular culture, museum studies, and other play-related fields, including technology and play.

          The American Journal of Play includes material that synthesizes and puts into perspective major themes of play scholarship; summarizes emerging areas of play research; presents significant new research about play; illuminates the important role of play in learning and human development throughout the life cycle; examines the interrelationship of play to other aspects of human endeavor; explicates social, cultural, educational, and public policy issues related to play; and explores cultural history through the world of play.
Volume 1, Number 1, Summer 2008
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Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 2008
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INTERVIEW:

ARTICLES:


BOOK REVIEWS:
Volume 1, Number 3, Winter 2008
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INTERVIEW:

  • The Cultural Origins and Play Philosophy of Playworkers: An Interview with Penny Wilson

ARTICLES:

  • Children’s Pastimes and Play in Sixteen Nations: Is Free-Play Declining?
    by Dorothy G. Singer, Jerome L. Singer, Heidi D’Agostino, and Raeka DeLong

  • Building Blocks and Cognitive Building Blocks: Playing to Know the World Mathematically
    by Julie Sarama and Douglas H. Clements

  • The Graceful and Gritty Princess: Managing Notions of Girlhood from the New Nation to the New Millennium
    by Miriam Forman-Brunell and Julie Eaton

  • Physically Active Play and Cognition: An Academic Matter?
    by Jacob Sattelmair and John J. Ratey


BOOK REVIEWS:

  • Gordon M. Burghardt, The Genesis of Animal Play: Testing the Limits
    by Garry Chick

  • Susan Linn, The Case for Make-Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World
    by David Elkind

  • Ann E. Densmore, Helping Children with Autism Become More Social: 76 Ways to Use Narrative Play
    by Virginia Ryan

  • Jim Holt, Stop Me if You’ve Heard This: A History and Philosophy of Jokes
    by Scott G. Eberle

  • Michael A. Messner, Out of Play: Critical Essays on Gender and Sport
    by Susan Cahn

  • Nigel B. Crowther, Sports in Ancient Times
    by David M. Christenson

  • Helen Tovey, Playing Outdoors: Spaces and Places, Risk and Challenge
    by Tim Gill

  • Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson, Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do and Katie Salen, ed., The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning
    by Stephen Jacobs
Volume 1, Number 4, Spring 2009
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INTERVIEW:

  • Discovering the Importance of Play through Personal Histories and Brain Images:  An Interview with Stuart L. Brown

ARTICLES:

  • The Need for Playful Learning in Classrooms: Play as the Learning Medium for Future Scientists, Mathematicians, and Engineers
    by Doris Bergen

  • Word Play: The Creation and Function of Novel Words in the Pretend Play of Two Siblings
    by Evangeline E. Nwokah and Kelly N. Graves

  • Wild Justice: Honor and Fairness among Beasts at Play
    by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce

  • Play as a Foundation for Hunter-Gatherer Social Existence
    by Peter Gray

BOOK REVIEWS:

  • Mark Bauerlein, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone under 30)
    by Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr.

  • Diana Seach, Interactive Play for Children with Autism
    by Pamela Wolfberg

  • Daniel Ness and Stephen J. Farenga, Knowledge under Construction: The Importance of Play in Developing Children’s Spatial and Geometric Thinking
    by Jenifer Thornton

  • Sue Rogers and Julie Evans, Inside Role-Play in Early Childhood Education: Researching Young Children’s Perspectives
    by James E. Johnson

  • Jan White, Playing and Learning Outdoors: Making Provision for High-Quality Experiences in the Outdoor Environment
    by Olga S. Jarret

  • Mia Consalvo, Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames
     by Tom Henricks

  • Joel Nathan Rosen, The Erosion of the American Sporting Ethos: Shifting Attitudes toward Competition
    by Cesar R. Torres

  • Dorothy Justus Sluss and Olga S. Jarrett, ed., Investigating Play in the 21st Century: Play and Culture Studies,Volume 7
    by Ann Marie Guilmette

 

American Journal of Play
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