Description

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A thoroughly updated second edition of the classic Games Children Play with new games added, by popular demand. To be used as a companion to the Waldorf Games Handbook for the Early Years.

This is a collection of 237 tried and tested games to play with children and groups of all ages.

Each game is clearly and simply described, with diagrams and drawings for how to play. There are games for helping graceful movement, cooperation, fairness and equality for the 7-10’s. Games for courage, accuracy, teamwork and gentle preparation for sports for 11- to 12-year-olds, along with games for renewing playground culture and holding a DIY Olympic Games.

How to develop spatial awareness is described through sports, gymnastics and outdoor games. There are sections on child development, introducing games sessions, children’s temperaments, the senses, tackling children’s problems with play or sport, teaching movement to children, and cultivating the lost art of real-life play with children challenged by the digital age.

Games offer variations depending on the age and number of players. There are tips for the games leaders on meeting the varying social and emotional needs of the players within a group. A section sets the context for the ever-increasing need for ‘IRL’ (In Real Life) games for children growing up in a digital age. Some new games have an embedded subheading, ‘For children who may struggle to play this game,’ as well as practical tips to engage this new generation of children.

About the Author

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Cory Waletzko teaches Games and Movement, and Music at Northeast Woodland Chartered Public School in New Hampshire. She is a Bothmer Gymnastics instructor and a Spatial Dynamics® Institute graduate, and she mentors and collaborates with movement educators at multiple schools around the country. She is particularly interested in how rhythm, dance, and games can be used to bridge social and cultural divides, promoting individual expression, interpersonal communication and spiritual connection. She lives in North Conway, New Hampshire.

Kim John Payne M. ED is a leading Steiner Waldorf and parent educator. He served as the Co-Director of the Michael School of Bothmer Gymnastics/Spatial Dynamics, and has taught movement, games, sports and circus skills for over 20 years. His social inclusion approach for breaking down the patterns of bullying has been implemented in hundreds of schools. He consults with schools, runs training programs around the world, appears on TV and in print, and is Co-Founder of Whole Child Sports. He has appeared frequently on television including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox; on radio with the BBC, Sirius/XM, CBC & NPR, and in print including being featured in Time Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Parenting, Mothering, Times Union and the LA Times. A father of two, he lives with his family in Ashfield, Massachusetts.

Praise For…

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"What a delightful collection! The wide range of games are described so clearly that it’s easy to find something to play with a lucky child or group of children. And then you’ll want to play something else, just because it so much fun to play and sing." —Rahima Baldwin Dancy, author, You are Your Child’s First Teacher

"A valuable resource of enjoyable games for preparing children for life." —Sally Goddard Blythe, author, The Well-Balanced Child

"Everything in this book works with children! An invaluable guide for every teacher, movement specialists and parents.’ Valerie Baadh Garrett, The Movement Academy Project

"An inspiring and useful gem." —Jane Miller EdD, Department of Education, Antioch University