PRESS FOR UNPLUGGED PLAY
The Unplugged Play books have been featured in…
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PRAISE FOR UNPLUGGED PLAY
“Play is essential to a child’s development—even proper brain growth. Here’s a wonderful guide for parents to this all-important act.”
– Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., author of Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence
“Every parent ought to have this scrumptious book. You don’t have to have problems with plugged-in play to enjoy this feast of unplugged family favorites, forgotten and new.”
– Penelope Leach, Ph.D., author of Your Baby and Child
“Yes! The return to play! Bobbi Conner has written a treasure trove of wonderful tips and activities to help parents help their children turn off that TV and play. Unplugged Play is destined to become a classic. If all parents had a copy on their nightstands, what a difference it would make in the lives of our children.”
– Michele Borba, Ed.D., author of Parents Do Make a Difference, Building Moral Intelligence, and 12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know
“I read Unplugged Play with a smile on my face. This useful book will help parents foster imagination and creativity in children as well as family closeness and laughter. Bobbi Conner is sophisticated about developmental, social, cultural, and psychological issues, but she is also just plain fun. Her book will help parents give their children the kind of childhood that more and more children are missing.”
– Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia and Writing to Change the World
“Unplugged Play shows parents how to say NO to excessive TV and videogames and say YES to play and quality time with family. The key to saying no effectively is to offer an attractive alternative, and Bobbi Conner has done it in this highly useful handbook, with an amazing array of games and activities for kids of all ages. She has performed an immense service for parents and kids and I, as a parent, am truly grateful!”
– William Ury, Ph.D., Director of the Global Negotiation Project at Harvard University, author of The Power of a Positive No, and coauthor of Getting to Yes
“Bobbi Conner has written a terrific prescription for much of what ails family life today. Unplugged Play answers the crucial question that parents ask after they’ve decided to unplug their kids: Now what?”
– Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
“What a gift to parents! Unplugged Play is something today’s kids need. Our children will grow up in a world that is neither predictable nor programmable. So, creativity matters. Social interactions matter. Self-reliance matters. Above all, play matters.”
– Maureen O’Brien, Ph.D., child development specialist and author of Watch Me Grow: I’m One-Two-Three
“A fantastic guide to building kids’ brains while having fun in the process. Smart parents will welcome this healthy antidote to our media-saturated childhood culture.”
– Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., educational psychologist and author of Your Child’s Growing Mind and Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds
“Bobbi Conner has created a play cookbook for parents that is just loaded with fun recipes for children from infancy to age ten. It is bursting with creative ideas, games and projects to encourage and nourish both individual and group play. And like all good cookbooks, Unplugged Play is easy to read and full of helpful illustrations. It is a book parents will want to have ready at hand. Indeed, I am sure they will come to rely on it for all the many occasions when they need fresh suggestions of how to fill their children’s time with healthy, stimulating, and rewarding play.”
– David Elkind, Ph.D., Professor of Child Development at Tufts University and author of The Hurried Child and The Power of Play
“Finally, a book that doesn’t just complain about the disappearance of old-fashioned play activities that don’t require a computer, but that actually does something about it! Unplugged Play is filled with creative and original suggestions for activities that parents can share with their children that are educational, but most importantly, just plain fun. I recommend it enthusiastically.
– Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Temple University and author of The 10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting
“A healthy parent-child relationship is the foundation for all stages of development. And nothing builds better relationships than having fun. Unplugged Play is an excellent collection of fun activities that are powered by imagination and creativity, not batteries. It’s a must-have resource for any parents interested in improving their child’s communication and social skills through play.”
– Sal Severe, Ph.D., author of How to Behave So Your Children Will, Too!
“A wonderful book—important, fresh, new, and best of all, good for you too! I recommend Unplugged Play most highly!”
– Edward Hallowell, M.D., psychiatrist and author of Delivered from Distraction and CrazyBusy
“Unplugged Play offers a welcome reprieve for parents who want to enjoy their children in an unhurried and spontaneous way. It aids the natural inclination of parents and children to be together by offering fun and creative alternatives to the pressures of our technologically driven lives. Bobbi Conner knows how to play. She also knows how to nurture relationship and interaction, the two pillars of a healthy childhood and a healthy parent-child bond. I recommend her book enthusiastically.”
– Alicia F. Lieberman, Ph. D., Irving B. Harris Professor of Infant Mental Health at the University of California, San Francisco and Director of the Child Trauma Research Project
“Bobbi Conner has started a play revolution—one that celebrates the many joys of old-fashioned play. Her terrific Unplugged Play manifesto tells you why you and your child will want to join the grassroots uprising against over-programmed and over plugged-in play—why you will want to be part of the revolution and how you can.”
– Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Toddler Books
“Bobbi Conner has written a treasure trove of fun, easy, developmentally sound activities that are sure to keep kids learning and parent-child relationships growing strong. After reading this delightful and practical book, I couldn’t wait to give a copy to each of my adult children. Even more, I couldn’t wait to pick up my three little grandchildren and put these ideas into action. This is a book I will keep close at hand in the years ahead, with a promise of countless hours of healthy unplugged fun!”
– Martha Farrell Erickson, Ph.D., Director of the Harris Programs (Center for Early Education & Development) and Co-Chair of the President’s Academic Initiative on Children, Youth & Families at the University of Minnesota
“What a gold mine! Unplugged Play is the resource all parents need to fill their children’s lives with joyful, playful, and wonder-filled moments. Who hasn’t admired adults who had ideas like these in their pocket? Children lucky enough to be raised with the fun activities in this book are more likely to grow into adults that will be filled with wonder. This books stands for all of the things I valued when raising my three sons. I hope it finds its way into every home in America.”
– John Feierabend, Ph.D., professor of Music Education at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford and author of the First Steps in Music series
“A treasure trove of easy, fun, developmentally rich ways to play, Unplugged Play offers the gift of being together without the worry about what to do!”
– Linda Gilkerson, Ph.D., Professor at the Erikson Institute
“I couldn’t be more excited about Unplugged Play! It should become the go-to gift for every baby shower from now on. It’s a fabulous resource for early childhood educators, Early Start and Head Start teachers, early interventionists, childcare providers, babysitters, and day camp leaders for fostering high expectations, consistent positive behaviors, and well-rounded children. And play opportunities that can be easily adapted to suit any interest or ability level make it relevant to all children and their parents.”
– Kristi Sayers Menear, Ph.D., CAPE, Assistant Professor of Human Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
“Fabulous! Bobbi Conner’s new book inspires the very best in children as well as parents. Bursting with creative ideas, helpful tips, and wise counsel, this book is an instant classic—essential for every loving, healthy, caring family. So grab your copy, pick any page, and join the fun!”
– T.A. Barron, award-winning children’s book author of The Lost Years of Merlin series
“Science tells us that young children have their own built-in curriculum. Bobbi Conner shows us how we can help them playfully follow that curriculum. Wise and accurate advice for parents.”
– J. Ronald Lally, Ed.D., Co-Director of the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies
“Unplugged Play is not only a brilliant treasure trove of ideas for parents, it’s a nostalgic journey to our own childhoods when we never watched a screen, never clicked a mouse, nor heard a cell phone ringing in our parent’s pocket, and somehow managed to find magic in the mundane. This book will reawaken the child in all of us, and urge us all to be more present, inventive, and connected with our children.”
– Lu Hanessian, parenting columnist, author of Let the Baby Drive: Navigating the Road of New Motherhood, and host of Discovery Health Channel’s Make Room for Baby
“Rainy days and restless afternoons can be challenging for any parent. Unplugged Play provides an alternative to mindless TV-watching by challenging young minds and building lifetime memories. The games and activities all use common household items so parents can introduce them quickly at just the right time to turn conflict into creative fun.”