Further Resources
To explore the sources mentioned in the interview as well as additional work on guided play, check out the following resources.
“ Recent Discoveries on the Acquisition of the Highest Levels of Human Performance,” by Arne Güllich and colleagues. Science, 2025. In this review article, the authors examine research on peak performance in science, music, chess, and sports. Evidence indicates that exceptional adults reached peak performance with broad, multidisciplinary practice.
Focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Equitable and Joyful Learning in Kindergarten, edited by Eva C. Phillips and colleagues. 2024, NAEYC. This book shows how kindergarten educators can create a robust learning environment that is play-oriented and supportive of required mandates and expectations.
Preschoolers at Play: Choosing the Right Stuff for Learning and Development, by Lisa Mufson Bresson and Megan King. 2022, NAEYC. This book offers ideas for play materials and describes how those materials can support the cognitive, social and emotional, and physical learning and development of children ages 3 to 5.
Infants and Toddlers at Play: Choosing the Right Stuff for Learning and Development, by Mary Benson McMullen and Dylan Brody. 2022, NAEYC. Discover tips for selecting play materials to support the learning and development of children from birth to age 3.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. 4th ed. 2022, NAEYC. With a strong focus on equity and teaching and supporting all children, the fourth edition of this classic text underscores the importance of social, cultural, and historical contexts of development.
“ Developmentally Appropriate Practice.” 2020. NAEYC’ s position statement offers guidelines for educators as they engage in developmentally appropriate practice to foster young children’ s joyful learning.
“ The Case of Brain Science and Guided Play: A Developing Story,” by Brenna Hassinger-Das and colleagues. Young Children, 2017. This article explores evidence indicating that guided play scaffolds young children’ s development and helps them develop an understanding of how the world works.
Playful Learning Landscapes. This initiative reimagines and redesigns city parks and public spaces to transform them into places of scientific exploration, social interaction, and play.
Photographs: pp. 6, 9, 10 © Getty Images; p. 7 © NAEYC and courtesy of Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. Copyright © 2026 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC. org / resources / permissions.
12 Young Children
Fall 2026