Let Me Play

Description

102 pages
$10.95
ISBN 0-590-73822-4
DDC 649'.5

Publisher

Year

1991

Contributor

Reviewed by Margaret E. Kidd

Margaret E. Kidd is a member of Toronto’s Child & Family Services
Review Board.

Review

This is a great book for the adults in a young child’s life! It is
written by a mother-teacher-child development specialist who likes
children and is concerned for their well-being. The author combines
wisdom for parents with wisdom about children.

I like the tone of this book. It is suggestive rather than directive
and yet gives careful reasons, with examples, for those suggestions.
Munroe urges parents to observe their young children, watching for
individual differences, interests, and abilities. Imaginative ideas for
play materials are organized around physical, social, emotional, and
intellectual areas of development. She points out that different days
and different times of day have different requirements. Creativity,
computers, family matters, and attention to the place for television are
not neglected.

She emphasizes that young children are more interested in making things
happen than in watching from the sidelines. “See that they have toys
they can use. Balance the number of suggestions [you give] the child
against the need for him to create his own games. The child learns by
doing, understands by trying things for [himself/herself]. Don’t worry
about some rules and guidelines as long as the rules are presented and
enforced with respect for the child and the expectations are reasonable
for the child’s age.”

This book is well organized, fairly brief, and to the point. For those
who would read further, there is an excellent list of references.

Citation

Munroe, Elizabeth A., “Let Me Play,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed February 16, 2025, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/11426.