ABSTRACT

Play theorists and researchers, as well as many early childhood educators, have long been strong advocates for the value of play as a medium for learning and development (e.g., Bergen, 1988; Fromberg & Bergen, 2006; Johnson, Christie, & Wardle, 2005; Kamii & Nagahiro, 2008). In the past decade, however, support for the role of play in learning also has come from research on the importance of optimal early brain development (Bergen & Coscia, 2001; Eliot, 1999; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000) and from research on the affordances of perceptual processes (Gibson, 1969, 1997). During that same time period, and especially since the beginning of the 21st century, the types of playthings and thus, the range of potential play experiences have also changed. Young children’s play has been inundated with technology-enhanced toys that contain computer chips programmed to have the toy “talk” and “act.” Such toys, often called “augmented” toys, are now pervasive and the variety of such toys continues to expand even for very young children (Bergen, 2001; Bergen, Hutchinson, Nolan, & Weber, 2010; Weber, 2006). Computer games and other virtual· experiences are also readily available to children as young as toddler age (e.g., Sesame Street; Zoodles), and videos/CDs have been specifically designed for babies (e.g., Baby Bumblebee; Baby Einstein). For older children, these play materials are even more pervasive and they range from ones that require rather rote responses to those that encourage creativity and a wide range of active responses (Kafaii, 2006; Silvern, 2006; Yelland, 2001).