Play and Learning Scholars Around the World (PALS)

About the author:

Since 2015, PALS researchers from 5 countries have collaborated on studying children’s and parents’ beliefs about play and learning. From developmental psychology and education, PALS principal investigators and their countries are: Doris Cheng (Hong Kong), Teresa Cremin (United Kingdom), Roberta Michnick Golinkoff (United States of America), Jill Popp (Denmark) Nora Scheuer (Argentina). They work alongside Lucia Bugallo (Argentina), Sarah Jane Mukherjee (United Kingdom), Marcia Preston (United States of America), Nicholas Wang and Cassy Yeung (both, Hong Kong). Despite the fact that there is much learning in play that adults may not notice, play is meaningful and transformative for children. As researchers of children’s worlds and mindsets hailing from five different countries, we describe play through a lens that highlights its value for families locked at home as well as for after the pandemic.