LearningGames

A mother sets the table and places a toothbrush next to a fork, then lets her 3-year-old discover that the toothbrush doesn't belong. A father creates big, soapy bubbles out of shampoo to make his 4-year-old's hair stand up. The child delights in seeing her image change in a new way. A caregiver ties a scarf around her head, leans over, and lets a 6-month-old touch the scarf, then talks and smiles to reinforce the baby's natural inclination to engage with people.

These simple, fun games, called LearningGames^®, are among 200 research-validated activities designed to stimulate the development and learning of infants, toddlers, and children from birth through 60 months of age. The games, which use inexpensive and everyday materials, help parents, home visitors, parent educators, teachers, and family child care providers strengthen their interactions with children.

History of LearningGames
Developed as the curriculum for the Abecedarian Project, LearningGames was the first scientifically validated infant-toddler curriculum. The Abecedarian Project--named after the Latin word for the alphabet--is one of the longest-running and most respected child care studies nationwide. The project began in 1972 with 111 at-risk infants. The children received the LearningGames curriculum from birth to 60 months of age. 

LearningGames Activities
LearningGames includes three distinct types of activities:

• activities that enrich in-progress child play through adult participation
• adult-initiated activities that the child is invited to join
• activities that are seamlessly integrated into care giving routines

Look Inside LearningGames
View a LearningGames sampler that contains 10 activities (PDF). English | Spanish

Awards
The LearningGames series has won two significant awards: The Association of Educational Publishers' 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing and Learning^® Magazine's 2009 Teachers' Choice^SM Award for the Family. The English-language Birth to 12 months LearningGames book also won the iParenting Media Award in 2009.

About the Lead Author
The lead author of LearningGames is Joseph Sparling, PhD, one of the original creators of the Abecedarian Studies. Dr. Sparling also wrote Partners for Learning and Conversation Books. He is the Senior Advisor of Curriculum and Research at Teaching Strategies, Inc., a Fellow of the Frank Porter Child Development Institute of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Research Professor at the Center on Health and Education at Georgetown University.