Il libro dei giochi. 101 modi per divertirti di più nella vita

by Michael Rosen

These days, we seem to have less and less time for play. At school, children are focused on exams, while at home we're all glued to our phones and iPads. Here, Michael Rosen shows us why we need more play in our lives. He explores the influence of play on everyone from Shakespeare to Dickens and Dali, delving into the history of play via puns, nonsense, improvisation and physical toys. He also explains why play is a core part of child development, proven to bolster creativity and resilience. Above all, play should be fun - and this book is full of silliness and laughter. Every chapter features exercises and prompts for creative indoor and outdoor play for all the family, with specially designed pages for scribbling, word play and more, illustrated by Charlotte Trounce.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Psychology, Games, Self Help, Philosophy, Game Design

248 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“We have to deal with this quite mind-boggling level of change every single day - and while for the most part we are very good at it, there are times when it feels overwhelming, we feel stress or anxiety, or even fear. How do we learn to cope with this? There is no subject at school called 'Change' (Hey! Why not?!), where we could study, play, improvise and think about change. We are expected to learn how to cope with change as we go along, or apparently - we are supposed to amass enough knowledge from school and college to enable us to survive and flourish through all the changes going on in the world. This is a big ask”

I still judge any week on the levels of fun that I’ve had and that often encompasses play - mostly trips out with the family to unusual places and activities, but then also the silly snatched moments whilst washing up or rolling on the sofa, board games around the dining table (carcassonne for adult relaxing time, boggle and so many train/random based ones as a four - animal or Bond bingo with the wider family! Even childhood Popeye memories!), daily shared online challenges, solo online games with shared scores, solo online games just for me (currently candy crush, mini motorway). Play… I only ever saw it as play… but that didn’t mean that I was going to stop it.

I feel like my life is thankfully filled with silliness and adult converted self challenges (if I can finish 8 emails before the hour is up, I can have a biscuit!), but I still enjoyed this book for some new ideas - instead of working whilst on long winded work based phone calls I shall let my subconscious run wild and doodle! I shall get pads of paper out more for some of the best imagination games! And I’m glad that I now know what megged means when my son is constantly committing it against me… a great book for families or anyone feeling that life is missing something

[Annie Donette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Rosen is the author of the poem “I Don’t Like Custard”. Who could be more qualified to discuss the subject of Play?! (Yes, I did just use a ?! ... I was being playful!)

The book is a discussion, including the history of play, Rosen’s personal experiences and practical play ideas. Rosen is clearly an absolute expert in this field: a teacher, practitioner, poet, author, performer and, significantly, parent of forty-three years and counting (his first child was born in 1976 and last in 2004). He writes in a fittingly playful manner, and his passion for the subject is palpable. He is open-minded, keen to learn and questions himself, which all makes for a fun, informative and down-to-earth read.

There is nothing ground-breaking here, and many of the ideas are either tried-and-tested (for example writing a limerick) or
things that children would do anyway (for example defacing a work of art). But I loved being reminded of all these little tidbits; the simplest ideas are the best, after all. And Rosen is here to urge us to make time for these simple, delightful things. Incidentally, this is a very timely read, with play being especially important for the well-being of anyone in lockdown.

My favourite part of the book was when it ‘got political’ in the last two chapters (Playful Learning and Making Space for Play). All too often, when I read inspiring or interesting theories on education, they appear to exist in a cloud cuckoo land of idealism that does not consider the current system. Rosen, however, is all too aware of the climate of testing, data submissions and league table comparisons across today’s schools. How can we give children adequate space and time to play while trying to tick all of those boxes? He addresses these issues with balance, thought and validity.

Being an auntie, teacher and parent, I am lucky enough to have spent much of my adult life immersed in play. I’m now going to make a mantra of Rosen’s “magic foursome... investigation, interpretation, invention and cooperation”, in a bid to retain some playfulness. If I have even a fraction of his spirit, vim, and whim when I reach 73 (or Stone Aged, as he would say) I’ll be (jumping) over the moon.

[Renetta Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love this book! As a child and adolescent counsellor who uses play, role-play and arts to provide therapeutic interventions I already knew how important play is and that play can be different for different ages and stages etc. We all need play, of a sort, in our lives for healthy growth and development.

I didn't have much knowledge about the history of play and found much of this fascinating. I am not as eloquent as Michael Rosen and I don't need to be for here it is in a book already written, all the important reasons we need more play for our children and young people but also for all the grown-ups or downs!!!!
Another book I think everyone should read....lots of great ideas for being playful too, which I shall be using to add more play and playfulness into my own life.

[Dri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't recommend this book enough!!! Easy read for all abilities - Enlightening in a sense that it motivates you to process everything differently, I am fairly well versed in this subject matter so its familiarity kept me engaged. I enjoyed the activity breaks throughout.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking and fun read, full of inspiration for questioning how we live, learn, and what we value. Making more room for play and experimentation, it is argued, will make us into more well-rounded humans and societies. I think I agree. 3.5

[Mairéad · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Stephanie Ingrem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book - I have a degree in Early Childhood Studies, work in nurseries (and have done for years), and have a 3 year old, and so have an interest and working knowledge of ‘play’… I just struggled to fully engage with it!

Every few pages had a game or playful activity, and actually, I found it interfered with the flow of my reading (which is a first world problem, sure!), I feel they could almost have been placed at the beginning/end of chapters!

I did like the dive into the history of play, as we don’t often study that; and the way that artists and sculptors play differently to writers and poets.

It touched on the problem with play in education at the end, and I almost wish we looked at it further in depth, but also appreciate that that is probably a book of its own! We focus so much on play being vital for the under 5’s nowadays in their learning and development, but we never think to extend it further to children, tweens, teens, adults!

I did like this book, maybe I’ll come back to it another time and try again!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an insightful view into the play in our lives. As an Early Years professional, I appreciated reading a book about the importance of play, but didn't learn much additional information. However, I think this book would be fantastic for parents.

[Alison Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of how the importance of play has changed through time. This was the book I wanted to write for my Master's, but Michael Rosen has done it already. I liked the lightness of touch, but the final two paragraphs ask the question that we need to know, basically if the children studying at Eton have such amazing access to arts training, then why do state schools get such a raw deal?

[Christine Shugrue · Rating 5 out of 5]

After years of personal & academic study of contemporary art for my Masters degree , I have to say that Michael Rosen clearly, succinctly and masterfully explains the playfulness , the power and the powerful work of contemporary art . The other gift of his book is that he invites readers to join in the play of art and have fun . Michael Rosen inspires .

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling that I didn't, I wanted to learn how to play with my children.-what I have learned from this is that my definition of play is too narrow and that I play more than I think I do. I have learned more games to play with them in conversation, in the car and random ones I can model that they may or may not join in with. This book has shown me that there is purpose in the frivolity of play.

[Mirjam Bos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Het heeft precies 8 maanden geduurd voordat ik me door dit boek heen geworsteld heb. Steeds overwoog ik om hem gewoon te laten liggen maar mijn nieuwsgierigheid heeft toch gewonnen ;). Toch vond ik het tegenvallen. De informatiedichtheid vond ik laag en de leuke creatieve ideeën werden zomaar midden in een verhaal gestopt, wat ik ronduit irritant vond.

[Malene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ideas for play, theories behind play and learning, childhood memories...this book has all of it and reflected upon thorough the author's experiences as a parent, teacher and still active play-participant.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, well written dive into the history of play, including some fantastic exercises and games the whole family can play. I am scanning them and printing them so as not to use them up in the book.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice read, love his style of writing, nice to be reminded about how important free play is for children and adults, in school and out

[Beki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept but couldn't get into it. Might have been my mood though!

[Lucie Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reminder of the importance and power of play and creativity throughout the lifespan, and not just for children!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives pause for thought, including ways to incorporate and encourage play in my work - among the grownups and kids.

[Charlotte Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book on the benefits if play for young children!

[Deanne Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

[Anastasia Kuprina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the beginning of the book where focus was on puns, word play and overall imagination play

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, but I found the suggested play activities interfered with the flow of the text.

[Kohi Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful and thought-provoking..