August 7, 2017 | The Genius of Play launched a “$1K Back to Play” classroom giveaway sweepstakes on August 3, reminding parents and educators to keep play in mind as kids head back to school.

Hosted in collaboration with the National AfterSchool Association (NAA), the contest is being promoted on The Genius of Play’s website,  Facebook, and Twitter.  

“Supporting the educator community is an important part of The Genius of Play’s mission to help raise happier and healthier kids through play and to reinforce the connection between play and learning,” says Anna Yudina, The Toy Association’s director of marketing initiatives. “We want to give teachers the resources they need to keep play in the classroom and to help explain the benefits of play to parents.”

Throughout the year, The Genius of Play has been expanding its resources for teachers while also adding new resources specifically targeted at school leadership: 

• Expert advice and tips for teachers from other teachers and administrators on TheGeniusofPlay.org. For example, Ross Flatt, manager of programs at the Institute of Play and former assistant principal at Quest to Learn School, has shared best practices for introducing play-based learning into a school or classroom setting in his recent article.
• New play-based lesson plans for the classroom. These downloadable, hands-on, play-inspired activities make it easy for teachers to squeeze some much-needed playtime into the school day.
• More sponsored giveaways and additional activities that are being promoted to 100,000 classroom teachers and 50,000 school administrators this month in partnership with the WeAreTeachers and School Leaders Now communities.

As the new school year gets underway, The Genius of Play plans to reach thousands of educators directly through participation in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) annual conference, to be held in Atlanta from November 15-18, 2017. The Genius of Play ambassadors will present in two of the scheduled sessions and will have an exhibit in the Expo Hall area of the conference.

The National AfterSchool Association is a membership association for professionals who work with children and youth in diverse school and community-based settings to provide a wide variety of extended learning opportunities and care during out-of-school hours.

The Genius of Play is The Toy Association’s research-backed initiative to bring more play into kids’ lives. Toy Association members interested in becoming involved in The Genius of Play may contact Jackie Retzer (646.454.5587).