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A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play
The buzz word in education today is accountability. But the federal mandate of "no child left behind" has come to mean curriculums driven by preparation for standardized tests and quantifiable learning results. Even for very young children, unstructured creative time in the classroom is waning as teachers and administrators are under growing pressures to measure school readiness through rote learning and increased homework. In her new book, Vivian Gussin Paley decries this rapid disappearance of creative time and makes the case for the critical role of fantasy play in the psychological, intellectual, and social development of young children.
A Child's Work goes inside classrooms around the globe to explore the stunningly original language of children in their role-playing and storytelling. Drawing from their own words, Paley examines how this natural mode of learning allows children to construct meaning in their worlds, meaning that carries through into their adult lives. Proof that play is the work of children, this compelling and enchanting book will inspire and instruct teachers and parents as well as point to a fundamental misdirection in today's educational programs and strategies.
A Child's Work goes inside classrooms around the globe to explore the stunningly original language of children in their role-playing and storytelling. Drawing from their own words, Paley examines how this natural mode of learning allows children to construct meaning in their worlds, meaning that carries through into their adult lives. Proof that play is the work of children, this compelling and enchanting book will inspire and instruct teachers and parents as well as point to a fundamental misdirection in today's educational programs and strategies.
111 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
42 people are currently reading
733 people want to read
About the author
Vivian Gussin Paley
21 books62 followersVivian Gussin Paley was an American pre-school and kindergarten teacher, early childhood education researcher, and author.
She taught and did most of her research at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Despite her status in the field today, she has described the first thirteen years of her teaching career as being an "uninspired and uninspiring teacher."
She taught and did most of her research at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Despite her status in the field today, she has described the first thirteen years of her teaching career as being an "uninspired and uninspiring teacher."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 17, 2024
I think this is kind of like Sheila Heti for kindergarten teachers because it’s like, How Should A Kindergarten Teacher Be.
December 25, 2010
More from Vivian G. Paley on the meaning of children's fantasy play. She is able to tell so much about kids from what they play. She has kids dictate their stories to her, then they act them out. It has strong influence on reading, writing, thinking, philosophy and self regulation.
Some favorite parts:
pg 72 - I used to have a punishment chair. Then I saw that, although the body was restricted, the child's mind entered many fantasies and behavior was never improved. I decided the approach does not work. What does? Patience. And then stories of good things happening, not bad. And making the child welcome into the play of others. I watched the children and saw that all these things work. She then uses a story to help a boy see how his playing in the blocks is bothering everyone. She calls the character "Good player" and has him do the acting in the story.
pg. 74 conversations with children may arise out of a "last straw" annoyance, in other words, or from a sense of dramatic flow. They can come from concerns over decorum or from respect for our imaginations. Both approaches will manage a classroom, but one seems punitive and the other brings good social discourse, communal responsibility and may have literary merit.
p82 Vygotsky said that in play a child stands taller than himself, above his age and ordinary behavior. It's as if he's climbing up a ladder and looking around at a larger area. Vygotsky's image of young children standing taller, above their average behavior, as they pursue ideas in fantasy play applies as well to their teachers who listen and try to make sense of the children's play and story telling. The pre-k teachers who are curious and begin to ask about the children's easy inventions of a timid wold and weeping river have begun to climb the ladder alongside the storytellers in their classroom.
Some favorite parts:
pg 72 - I used to have a punishment chair. Then I saw that, although the body was restricted, the child's mind entered many fantasies and behavior was never improved. I decided the approach does not work. What does? Patience. And then stories of good things happening, not bad. And making the child welcome into the play of others. I watched the children and saw that all these things work. She then uses a story to help a boy see how his playing in the blocks is bothering everyone. She calls the character "Good player" and has him do the acting in the story.
pg. 74 conversations with children may arise out of a "last straw" annoyance, in other words, or from a sense of dramatic flow. They can come from concerns over decorum or from respect for our imaginations. Both approaches will manage a classroom, but one seems punitive and the other brings good social discourse, communal responsibility and may have literary merit.
p82 Vygotsky said that in play a child stands taller than himself, above his age and ordinary behavior. It's as if he's climbing up a ladder and looking around at a larger area. Vygotsky's image of young children standing taller, above their average behavior, as they pursue ideas in fantasy play applies as well to their teachers who listen and try to make sense of the children's play and story telling. The pre-k teachers who are curious and begin to ask about the children's easy inventions of a timid wold and weeping river have begun to climb the ladder alongside the storytellers in their classroom.
April 4, 2008
After reading this book, I realized just how much pressure must be on Kindergarten teachers today. There are expectations put upon them to prepare children academically for first grade when so many of them were not prepared for today's Kindergarten in the first place. From then on, it's a snowball effect in which each subsequent teacher is trying to catch every child up on academic standards. What ever happened to preparing them for life?
Einstein said, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.", and this book follows that train of thought. As more time passes, play is devalued more and more... then people wonder why children have no critical thinking and problem solving skills. It's evident that so much can be learned through fantasy play and storytelling... much more than simply learning what you need to pass a test.
Reading this book renewed my hope for what Early Childhood Professionals can do in classrooms to get back their roots in play. I highly recommend reading this if you work with young children or have children of your own!
Einstein said, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.", and this book follows that train of thought. As more time passes, play is devalued more and more... then people wonder why children have no critical thinking and problem solving skills. It's evident that so much can be learned through fantasy play and storytelling... much more than simply learning what you need to pass a test.
Reading this book renewed my hope for what Early Childhood Professionals can do in classrooms to get back their roots in play. I highly recommend reading this if you work with young children or have children of your own!
September 4, 2010
After reading first few chapters:
Loving it so far. . . thanks Christy for telling me to read Paley some years ago. Looking forward to Claudita´s storymaking. . .
When I finished reading it:
The transcriptions children playing are wonderful. I think I'll be a better mom because of reading this book; it helped me understand many things about how children make sense of the world. I will pay more attention to the stories that my little daughter will tell, and now have a better idea of how to use storytelling as part of learning at home. As an educator, if I have the chance to work with preschoolers in the future (and there is a chance that I will be involved in a project with small kids next year), I will definitely draw from this book to be respectful of children's play as their very serious way of making sense of events that have impressed them, fears, relationships with family and friends, and many other things that are important to them.
Loving it so far. . . thanks Christy for telling me to read Paley some years ago. Looking forward to Claudita´s storymaking. . .
When I finished reading it:
The transcriptions children playing are wonderful. I think I'll be a better mom because of reading this book; it helped me understand many things about how children make sense of the world. I will pay more attention to the stories that my little daughter will tell, and now have a better idea of how to use storytelling as part of learning at home. As an educator, if I have the chance to work with preschoolers in the future (and there is a chance that I will be involved in a project with small kids next year), I will definitely draw from this book to be respectful of children's play as their very serious way of making sense of events that have impressed them, fears, relationships with family and friends, and many other things that are important to them.
December 20, 2009
The author says that kindergarten should be for play. She advocates saving academic work until first grade.
As a kindergarten teacher, she would write down the children's oral stories and then they would act them out. Collaboration is important to kids; in pretend play they incorporate all the participants' ideas.
If you want to change a child's behavior, using "Let's pretend" is very effective, according to Paley. For instance, if a kid always knocks down blocks, you can say "Let's pretend you're a good block builder."
I wish I could be clearer about what this book is about, but it didn't stick with me too well. This was rather difficult last-moments-before-bedtime reading material, because the author quotes her students verbatim. The weird sentence constructions made me pause frequently to figure out what the kindergartners were trying to say.
As a kindergarten teacher, she would write down the children's oral stories and then they would act them out. Collaboration is important to kids; in pretend play they incorporate all the participants' ideas.
If you want to change a child's behavior, using "Let's pretend" is very effective, according to Paley. For instance, if a kid always knocks down blocks, you can say "Let's pretend you're a good block builder."
I wish I could be clearer about what this book is about, but it didn't stick with me too well. This was rather difficult last-moments-before-bedtime reading material, because the author quotes her students verbatim. The weird sentence constructions made me pause frequently to figure out what the kindergartners were trying to say.
March 8, 2021
Surprisingly interesting!
November 12, 2022
I had to read this book for a college course and I loved it! It opened my eyes to new ways of thinking and observing.
January 31, 2023
Very informative and engaging with practical and interesting stories!
December 27, 2009
I'm not sure why it took me several months to finish this book of just over a hundred pages, but for some reason, I would read one or two of the short chapters and then leave it for a week or two. I liked the ideas and observations but I felt like it was lacking in substance. But I think it at least is a good starting point for examining the importance of fantasy play and storytelling in the development of young children.
October 24, 2010
The kindergarten programs around us now unfortunately do not seem to much resemble the one presented in this book. I think my son would thrive in the kind of dramatic play environment that Vivian Paley created for her students. This book opened my eyes to the value of dramatic play to a child: intellectually, socially, and emotionally. It brought home how hard it is to remember how to think like a child.
September 12, 2008
I really enjoy Paley's writing and agree with her perspectives. This book is especially poingant as I have a kidergartener in public schools. I wish the legislators would read this book before they reevaluate no child left behind.
February 23, 2009
I read portions of this book for a class. Very informative and thought provoking, though Paley uses personal narrative to illustrate her point more than anything else (i.e. scientific research). However, it serves its purpose well.
June 14, 2011
Very worthwhile read. I loved the stories and really learned from them. Can't wait to read more Paley.
March 8, 2021
Had to read this for my Bachelor of Education and it was pretty repetitive and boring and outdated. Also, at one point, the white kids in the class ask their classmate, who had recently moved to the US from India if he wanted to join them playing and be the terrorist who bombs the building and all the adults ignored that??? Seeing as this was written in2004, the kindergarten kids knew about 9/11 and were equating the little boy from India to a terrorist because of his skin colour, and Paley and the teacher, who clearly observed the entire interaction, said nothing?????? Girl you're teaching kids that it's okay to be racist and to use inherently racist and harmful stereotypes but ok go off about fantasy play
November 14, 2025
I read this book recently for an assignment for grad school and it was very insightful! Each chapter had some amazing stories about fantasy play in the early childhood child rooms. This book is very helpful for early childhood educators that believe that play should be part of the child’s development process not just outside of school but inside of the classroom especially in the early childhood grades.
May 24, 2023
This book was a great little read! It made me think a little differently about play and gave me some new perspectives to take into my world with my children. It inspired me to play more and to expose my kids to even more stories. Sometimes I struggle to enter their pretend world, but this book reminded me how worth it that can be.
September 11, 2023
Watching my son transition from a 3-year-old toddler to a 4-year-old boy made me much more aware of the importance of play in his social and emotional development. Even though he attends a Montessori school with strong views on the role of fantasy and play, he still has ample opportunities for self-expression and exploration through fantasy play. This book helped me recognize that.
October 2, 2017
Full of examples to illustrate different points. Easy to read. A great starting point for anyone interested in finding out more about the relevance of play in childhood and how it is related to their language, academic, motoric and emotional developments.
July 3, 2018
Some interesting information but very anecdotal and way way way to many metaphors and similes that it took away from the heart of the book. So interesting and I enjoyed it but fell short of expectations.
April 25, 2021
This non fiction about fantasy play is a mixture of anecdotes and sprinklings of reasearch between. Easy to read. Highly reccomend to educators or parents to see the value of fantasy in: developing literacy, working through trauma, including diverse learners, and more.
September 9, 2022
This book made me what to make more room for and pay closer attention to children's fantasy play. I can see the children working out concerns, but not to the extent of the examples in the book. I need to be a better observer.
June 22, 2018
This need to be required reading for educators and people interested in improving education.
May 1, 2020
I really liked this one. Such an open and inspiring way of viewing the impact of fantasy play. Definitely one to read before you enter the classroom.
July 21, 2022
旅行前读了一半原著，感觉大开眼界，旅行后回来，再也沉不下心读，匆匆翻完了剩下半本中译，内容大差不大，翻译太别扭，比原文还难懂。
核心点在于对儿童“幻想”世界的关注，恰好在写读书版，看了一部分《当世界年纪还小的时候》，颇有共鸣，天马行空的想象比匠气的修改动人多了。
核心点在于对儿童“幻想”世界的关注，恰好在写读书版，看了一部分《当世界年纪还小的时候》，颇有共鸣，天马行空的想象比匠气的修改动人多了。
May 9, 2023
Food for thought.
June 20, 2023
"Play is the glue that binds together all other learning and pursuits."
November 19, 2024
This was interesting! This book was mostly anecdotal and observational, which was neat, but I do wish there was more analysis
March 2, 2014
What a stupid, pointless waste of my time. This book has no real argument. It's a lament to times gone by and an emotional appeal rather than a rational one.
I hate it when people claim things like this author did at the beginning, "There was a time when play was king and early childhood was its domain." Really? When? Was that the "play" invented by the victorians? Because I don't think she's referring to the middle ages. Or hunter gatherer tribes that exist today. But oooh, times were sooooo good once, weren't they? Cause your generation certainly ended up happy and well-adjusted from your amazing childhoods!
Lady, there is nothing natural or normal about a school setting or the behavior it inspires in children. You're a teacher? How about cracking open a history book?
This book had a lot of transcripts of conversations kids have with each other and I enjoyed those that involved real life practice (there were maybe 2). Most of the conversations were children attempting to understand the rules of good guys and bad guys and magical powers... and they just made me sad.
Some of the conversations were children using stories they had read to express their feelings. These also made me sad--children are crippled with zero vocabulary to discuss how they feel and can only express themselves through stories they have been read! Naturally what the author takes away from this is that children can ONLY express their emotions through stories.... Now, I have nothing against stories that don't confuse children about reality and don't teach them bad philosophy but SERIOUSLY? How about a little emotional education, instead?
There are times when the author gets it totally wrong what the children are talking about too. A lot of the time they are not expressing an emotion that they don't know how to express. They are trying to understand reality--do bad guys have mothers? Are bad guys allowed to have mothers?
My 2.5 year old doesn't actually know concepts like good guys and bad guys--he isn't being trained to think about the world in those terms. He does know words like afraid, puzzled, worried, sad, mad, etc. All the "ideas" she thinks kids can't understand unless they talk about them in the form of talking spiders and flying men! The author can't understand how children would be able to confront their fantasy villains without lots of fantasy play.... What I can't understand is why children have villains! Why do we teach our children to think about the world in these ways? It's so sad!
She says that superhero play is no different from the cowboy play that happened 50 years ago... I beg to differ. Philosophically they are similar, yes, they involve good guys and bad guys and our cultural myth of heroic man saving village. But for children they are very different. Cowboys were real--they didn't fly. They didn't have magic. They didn't rob children of their self-confidence in their ability to understand reality. (Well, they still did kind-of since, even though they were part of reality, they weren't part of most children't actual day-to-day reality.)
A lot of what this lady is lamenting isn't about fantasy play, it's about free time. Allowing children unstructured time to do with what they wish: that I totally agree with. Children who go to school are absolutely robbed of the personal development they would get with more free time.
But guess what? When you make children focus on all this total bullshit they are wasting years of their lives anyway. What kinds of questions do three-year-olds think about for a week: Can one see poison if she is invisible? Yeah, that's an important use of her time.
What was disturbing about this book was that the teacher doesn't just want to let the kids play--she wants to use their play, to control it. And granted, I have read about how play can be used to lengthen kids attention spans if you make them play what they are going to play before they play it and then have them stick to their game but... you gotta pick your side. This lady is on both sides. She wants kids to do more dramatic play AND she wants to control that play and use it to change the children. She argues like she is on the side of freedom for children and then having free time and enjoying life but... she's not. That's just lip service. There is a perfect example of this (her secret agenda) towards the end. She uses the Hobbit story to help children come to the conclusion that anyone with a magic ring would use it to do bad things. Which is why we need police men and government and parents to keep us all in line! Since we're all actually bad....
This author also thinks play is good so that children can always understand that they are just playing different roles and they can switch roles at any time. One last nail in the coffin for Standard American Parenting Experts. Why do you speak about training children to be inauthentic and out of touch with what they really feel like it's a good thing?
If only I could use play to trick this lady into learning some Non Violent Communication....
I hate it when people claim things like this author did at the beginning, "There was a time when play was king and early childhood was its domain." Really? When? Was that the "play" invented by the victorians? Because I don't think she's referring to the middle ages. Or hunter gatherer tribes that exist today. But oooh, times were sooooo good once, weren't they? Cause your generation certainly ended up happy and well-adjusted from your amazing childhoods!
Lady, there is nothing natural or normal about a school setting or the behavior it inspires in children. You're a teacher? How about cracking open a history book?
This book had a lot of transcripts of conversations kids have with each other and I enjoyed those that involved real life practice (there were maybe 2). Most of the conversations were children attempting to understand the rules of good guys and bad guys and magical powers... and they just made me sad.
Some of the conversations were children using stories they had read to express their feelings. These also made me sad--children are crippled with zero vocabulary to discuss how they feel and can only express themselves through stories they have been read! Naturally what the author takes away from this is that children can ONLY express their emotions through stories.... Now, I have nothing against stories that don't confuse children about reality and don't teach them bad philosophy but SERIOUSLY? How about a little emotional education, instead?
There are times when the author gets it totally wrong what the children are talking about too. A lot of the time they are not expressing an emotion that they don't know how to express. They are trying to understand reality--do bad guys have mothers? Are bad guys allowed to have mothers?
My 2.5 year old doesn't actually know concepts like good guys and bad guys--he isn't being trained to think about the world in those terms. He does know words like afraid, puzzled, worried, sad, mad, etc. All the "ideas" she thinks kids can't understand unless they talk about them in the form of talking spiders and flying men! The author can't understand how children would be able to confront their fantasy villains without lots of fantasy play.... What I can't understand is why children have villains! Why do we teach our children to think about the world in these ways? It's so sad!
She says that superhero play is no different from the cowboy play that happened 50 years ago... I beg to differ. Philosophically they are similar, yes, they involve good guys and bad guys and our cultural myth of heroic man saving village. But for children they are very different. Cowboys were real--they didn't fly. They didn't have magic. They didn't rob children of their self-confidence in their ability to understand reality. (Well, they still did kind-of since, even though they were part of reality, they weren't part of most children't actual day-to-day reality.)
A lot of what this lady is lamenting isn't about fantasy play, it's about free time. Allowing children unstructured time to do with what they wish: that I totally agree with. Children who go to school are absolutely robbed of the personal development they would get with more free time.
But guess what? When you make children focus on all this total bullshit they are wasting years of their lives anyway. What kinds of questions do three-year-olds think about for a week: Can one see poison if she is invisible? Yeah, that's an important use of her time.
What was disturbing about this book was that the teacher doesn't just want to let the kids play--she wants to use their play, to control it. And granted, I have read about how play can be used to lengthen kids attention spans if you make them play what they are going to play before they play it and then have them stick to their game but... you gotta pick your side. This lady is on both sides. She wants kids to do more dramatic play AND she wants to control that play and use it to change the children. She argues like she is on the side of freedom for children and then having free time and enjoying life but... she's not. That's just lip service. There is a perfect example of this (her secret agenda) towards the end. She uses the Hobbit story to help children come to the conclusion that anyone with a magic ring would use it to do bad things. Which is why we need police men and government and parents to keep us all in line! Since we're all actually bad....
This author also thinks play is good so that children can always understand that they are just playing different roles and they can switch roles at any time. One last nail in the coffin for Standard American Parenting Experts. Why do you speak about training children to be inauthentic and out of touch with what they really feel like it's a good thing?
If only I could use play to trick this lady into learning some Non Violent Communication....
December 11, 2023
I read this book for class and just like every other Vivian Paley book I’ve read, it was alright. I find her books to be too sophisticated for me and I can never seem to comprehend what she is trying to say. The knowledge I did gain from this book will be beneficial (dramatic/fantasy play is important and should be used during school). Unlike other books I’ve read for classes, I will probably not use this in the future.
October 11, 2015
Paley affirms that play is absolutely necessary for the psychology of childhood. Her stories--and this book is basically a thesis developed completely in stories of children--demonstrate how fantasy play can heal and transform children, and how they can relate to each other at their own level through acting out fantasy.
Anyone who's spent time with young children knows that this kind of play is natural and in-born. Maria Montessori, a kind of hero to me, notably dismissed fantasy play as unimportant (or even degenerate) compared to real work in the real world, but Paley shows very directly and forcefully how this must be untrue. Children are wired for this play, as you will see on the playground at any Montessori school.
The real value of this book is its stories. Paley is a uniquely gifted storyteller and observer of the child-mind. The book reads well even from this angle only. Its implications arise from there.
The dark side of her discovery, of course, is the decline of fantasy play in our children's lives: the ubiquitous media, the time- and outdoor-starved lives so many children live. (And school too! What space is there at school for fantasy play? Perhaps 15 minutes rushed on the playground, but impoverished the rest of the day.)
An important read for Kindergarten and preschool teachers especially.
Anyone who's spent time with young children knows that this kind of play is natural and in-born. Maria Montessori, a kind of hero to me, notably dismissed fantasy play as unimportant (or even degenerate) compared to real work in the real world, but Paley shows very directly and forcefully how this must be untrue. Children are wired for this play, as you will see on the playground at any Montessori school.
The real value of this book is its stories. Paley is a uniquely gifted storyteller and observer of the child-mind. The book reads well even from this angle only. Its implications arise from there.
The dark side of her discovery, of course, is the decline of fantasy play in our children's lives: the ubiquitous media, the time- and outdoor-starved lives so many children live. (And school too! What space is there at school for fantasy play? Perhaps 15 minutes rushed on the playground, but impoverished the rest of the day.)
An important read for Kindergarten and preschool teachers especially.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews