A Dorset-based clinician and educator has released a new book to emphasise the importance of play for children.

Caroline Essame, who lives near Bridport, has spent the last 30 years working with children around the world within clinical settings and pre-schools.

She has visited Singapore, India and the Philippines on her travels, as well as working within these settings in the UK.

She became an award-winning trainer at the Social Services Institute and an associate lecturer in two universities in Singapore- whilst also pioneering services in India, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Now returning to West Dorset, Caroline is continuing to support children with special needs to develop through play.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

Her new book, Why Play Matters: 101 Activities for Developmental Play to Support Young Children, brings together the neuroscience of early child development with a deep understanding of the role of play.

The result has been seen as fun to read and easy to use, with chapters introducing the theory followed by series of games and activities for adults to play with children.

More importantly, the book demonstrates what playing those games and carrying out those activities would achieve. For example, when a child is blowing bubbles, they learn self-regulation and to be calm, whilst when they make handprints, they learn confidence and self-esteem.

The classic past-time of hide and seek teaches children how to deal with excitement in a calm way, further teaching them about hope and anticipation.

Why Play Matters: 101 Activities for Developmental Play to Support Young Children is said to benefit parents, teachers and clinicians alike and is available to order from routledge.com