ABSTRACT
Childrens play has been a controversial topic for many years and has been neglected in many schools and homes. Controversy has centered around an appropriate definition, the belief that play contradicts our nations work ethic, and the mindset that schools and learners, to achieve “excellence,” require less play and more work. Some adults might even consider children between 8 and 12 years of age too old to play. While a vast body of research has documented the contribution of play to younger children’s cognitive and literacy development and to their social growth (Youngquist & Pataray-Ching, 2004), less research and scholarly opinion has focused attention on the significance of play in the development of 8-to 12-year-olds.
