The Development of Play

Why do children play and why do they stop playing? David Cohen's book answers these questions in light of recent research. Psychologists argue that children play to learn how to move, how to speak, how to think, how to cope emotionally, how to be imaginative, and how to interact with other people. David Cohen suggests that we need to look at the origins of play in the family, and excamine how children play with objects, language, and with each other and their parents. "An excellent critical appraisal of research on play. Cohen offers a refreshing open perspective, although he acknowledges that we seem to need a serious reason for play in order to justify studying it...Very readable and entertaining." --Choice

About the Author :
David Steven Cohen is Senior Research Associate and Director of the Ethnic History Program at the New Jersey Historical Commission. He holds a Ph.D. in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania.

Review :
"Sirin and Fine...render visible the complex lives of a profoundly maligned and misunderstood group--Muslim-American youth. They deploy surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and identity maps to explore how Muslim-American youth are creating and re-creating themselves within these politically and socially charged times . . . This is a must read." -M. Brinton Lykes, Lynch School of Education and Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Boston College "This book provides a unique, powerful, rich, and nuanced understanding of identity development among Muslim-American youth. The publication of Muslim American Youth is a landmark event in developmental science." -Richard M. Lerner, Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science, Tufts University "This book will be particularly useful for any professional who needs well-researched support for what their instinct tells them their community needs." -"VOYA Voices of Youth Advocates", "This work complexly and richly captures the diversity in the lived identities of Muslim-American youth, highlighting the power and potential of mixed methodologies in studying the phenomenon of life on the hyphen." -"Harvard Educational Review", "With heart and eloquence, the authors illuminate vital concerns about our society's treatment of Muslim-American youth." -"Youth Today",