hroughout this course, you have evaluated the relationship between play and learning for young children. For this Final Paper, you will assume the role of an early care provider or administrator. In this hypothetical role, you have become aware that several parents are critical of your decision to provide time for children to engage in activities such as dramatic play and peer-to-peer conversations. Most of the parents do not understand the developmental value of these activities; they tend to believe that a quiet classroom is one in which students are engaged in “real” learning. The parents are requesting that you spend more time on “academics.” Your goal is to construct a paper that presents your framework of play and learning for the young child so you can effectively communicate with family members about the need for play as an integrated part of the curriculum. The prompt for this assignment was adapted from Charlesworth (2013, p. 358).

Note: For the purposes of this course we use the term parents; however, this may also include primary care- givers, family members, and parental guardians.

Creating the Final Paper
Create your Final Paper to meet the content and written communication expectations stated below.