Groundbreaking American Journal of Play from Strong National Museum of Play(R) Premiers...( ROCHESTER N.Y. July 17 -- Strong...),Health

ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Strong National Museum of Play is pleased to announce the launch in mid-July of the American Journal of Play, the first interdisciplinary journal anywhere dedicated solely to the study of play.

The inaugural issue enters the scholarly scene with an array of thought-provoking content from some of the most prominent national researchers and writers in the field--from a neuroscientist's assertion that the rising tide of ADHD among children might be slowed by starting each school day off with recess, to a psychologist's surprising findings on the role of imaginary child companions, to a historian's panoramic journey through the changing playscape of American childhood since pre-industrial times.

Published and distributed quarterly for the museum by the University of Illinois Press, the Journal features articles, essays, opinion pieces, interviews and book reviews and aims to increase awareness and understanding of the role of play in learning and human development and the ways in which play illuminates American cultural history.

Explains Jon-Paul Dyson, editor of the Journal: "Play is multifaceted, diverse, and complex. It resists easy definition and engages many disciplines. Psychologists of play have different concerns than historians of play. Experts on animal play examine play through different lenses than experts on child's play. Early childhood specialists, play therapists, anthropologists, sociologists, folklorists, and toy and game designers consider play for different reasons and from different perspectives." Peer-reviewed and written in a clear, straightforward style, the American Journal of Play provides these and other scholarly communities a forum for the subject they share.

The first issue of the American Journal of Play contains the following articles:

-- Play, ADHD, and the Construction of the Social Brain: Should the First Class Each Day Be Recess? by Jaak Pank
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