The Genius of Play Partners with New Play Expert – Fundamentally Children Founder Dr. Amanda Gummer

January 13, 2017 | The Genius of Play, the Toy Industry Association’s (TIA) research-backed initiative to bring more play into kids’ lives, announced the addition of a new thought leader to their roster of experts, Dr. Amanda Gummer. Dr. Gummer is the founder of Fundamentally Children, the UK’s leading source of expert, independent advice on child development and play, and a psychologist with more than 20 years of experience working with children and families.

Dr. Gummer will address in a series of articles how to best use toys and games to further child development in the first five years of life. The articles will be featured on The Genius of Play’s website, along with an accompanying chart highlighting play skills by age, available for download in PDF format. Dr. Gummer’s first article, The Role of Play for Newborn Child Development: Playing at 0-6 Months, is already published on the website and is based on her 2015 book Play. The book offers parents playful and stimulating ways to further kids’ mental, social, physical, and emotional growth in their early years.  

“Play has a significant impact on child development and learning. The Genius of Play’s mission in the U.S. to advance this knowledge aligns perfectly with Fundamentally Children’s work in the UK,” Dr. Gummer said. “I am thrilled to be able to share my knowledge with The Genius of Play’s growing audience and to help parents encourage play and make it an important part of raising their kids.”

Dr. Gummer joins The Genius of Play’s more than 50 play experts who provide articles, play tips and ideas, and videos on TheGeniusofPlay.org. Each play expert is passionate about engaging children through play and a thought leader in their respective specialty areas, including psychology, education, parenting, safety, and media, among others.

“Working with play experts is a big focus for The Genius of Play, whose mission is rooted in research and facts,” said Anna Yudina, TIA’s director of marketing initiatives. “Experts not only lend credibility to our program, but they also provide valuable insight and hands-on advice parents can use to raise happier, healthier kids. We are very excited about this new partnership with Dr. Gummer and look forward to sharing her expertise with our community.”