Play skills are vital to a child's overall healthy development. However, the training many caregivers receive may not include extensive information on play skills. This book presents a play checklist to help caregivers observe children's play skills, pinpoint play skills on which children need to work, and plan goals for improving those play skills. The play checklist is intended to be short, pertinent, and easy to understand, as well as to address both sociodramatic play skills and social skills. Chapter 1 of the book reviews definitions of terms used in the book grouped under the three types of play (play with objects, social play, and sociodramatic play) and outlines how play helps a child begin to use symbols and interact with other children. Chapter 2 offers suggestions for enhancing children's play by providing time, space, props, and planned experiences. Chapter 3 presents the Play Checklist and guidelines for observations, and gives caregivers an idea of how each item matches a child's skill. Chapters 4 and 5 describe how to plan from the checklist and discuss goals, priorities, and the role of the adult. Chapter 6 contains suggestions for improving the play skills that correspond with each section of the checklist. Chapter 7 discusses evaluation and the crucial role it plays in successful planning. Appendix 1 outlines a few reasons why children may have difficulty learning play skills. Appendix 2 describes how to teach the content of the book to other caregivers. Appendix 3 consists of the Play Checklist and Planning Form. Contains a glossary and 42-item bibliography. (TM)