Make-Believe: Games and Activities for Imaginative Play
This book takes a rather scholarly and extensive look at a part of children's lives that would appear to be instinctive: make-believe. To achieve their stated intent to "suggest ways in which parents and teachers can foster play skills," the authors offer many adult-directed activities that will not only encourage imaginative play but also foster such areas as creativity and cognitive, motor, sensory, and social skills. A table in the front of the book links specific chapters with the development of these skills. Some suggested activities enhance the senses: smelling, tasting, hearing. Other games teach children about the different people in their neighborhood or town. These activities would work well in a classroom setting but might have mixed results at home. The layout makes this book ideal for browsing, with many boxed inserts, illustrations, and color photos attractively laid out with lots of white space. While the idea of taking what would seem to be natural and analyzing it beyond all measure may be a turn off to some adults, teachers, counselors, and other group leaders should find many helpful suggestions here for encouraging and channeling creative play.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NYCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.