The Power of Play

 David Elkind, Ph.D., Internationally renowned child psychologist and Professor Emeritus of Child Development at Tufts University

Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7:00-8:30 PM,
North Shore Country Day School, Diller Street Theater,
310 Green Bay Rd., Winnetka, 60093.   Map

The integration of play, love and work is essential to living a happy, healthy and productive life. Fantasy, imagination and creativity, the cornerstones of spontaneous, self-initiated play, form the basis for success in math and science, yet play is often regarded as a luxury to be sacrificed in favor of our modern predilection for passive electronic entertainment, competitive team sports and academic hyper-achievement.

Internationally renowned child psychologist David Elkind, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Child Development at Tufts University, comes to the North Shore to explain why play is a crucial dynamic of physical, intellectual, social and emotional development in children of all ages. Dr. Elkind is one of the world’s esteemed researchers of child development, a visionary and a leading advocate for the preservation of childhood. He is the author of The Hurried Child, now in its 25th anniversary year, All Grown Up and No Place to Go, Miseducation, and most recently The Power of Play, along with over 400 published articles in the areas of perceptual, cognitive and social development. Dr. Elkind is the past President of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and has hosted the Lifetime Television series, Kids These Days.

This special presentation, co-sponsored by the Family Awareness Network of New Trier Township (FAN) and The Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood, and hosted by North Shore Country Day School, is a must-see event for parents, educators and anyone who works with children of all ages. CPDUs and CEUs available for education and health professionals. This is the third in the 2008-09 series of FAN lectures on positive topics that focus on solutions that seek to emphasize parental competence and confidence. For more information, visit www.fan-ntts.org, or contact The Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood at 847-441-9001, www.winnetkaalliance.org  

Elkind Power of Play flyer

David Elkind in Encyclopedia of Psychology

David Elkind at Tufts

Podcasts on The Power of Play,  on Parents Journal

AOL video on The Power of Play

Books, via Amazon.com

The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally

The Hurried Child-25th Anniversary Edition

All Grown Up And No Place To Go: Teenagers In Crisis, Revised Edition

The Hurried Child: Growing Up Too Fast Too Soon (3rd edition)

Miseducation: Preschoolers at Risk