about us
Play Elevated was created to support happy and healthy development, for children around the world, by elevating early childhood development benefits of their play and entertainment experiences.
We are a consultancy focused on enhancing the impact of play in children’s lives. We partner with leaders in the realms of children’s programs, products, toys, entertainment, and digital play experiences, ensuring that every moment of play is not just enjoyable but also beneficial for development.
Rooted in strong collaborations with industry leaders, innovative start-ups, and non-profit organizations, our expertise spans a wide array of areas including toys, baby gear, engaging content, educational curriculum, and children’s entertainment. We are passionate about supporting the creative and development processes from the initial spark of an idea all the way through to it’s launch, leveraging research insights to guide our approach at every step of the journey.
At Play Elevated, we believe that play is a vital part of childhood. We elevate play to new heights and cultivate rich, engaging experiences that inspire young minds and hearts.
Deborah Weber, PhD
As the founder of Play Elevated and a PhD in early childhood development & psychology, I have focused my professional career as a child development and play specialist, researcher, and published author.
I spent the first 28 years of my career working with the world’s largest Infant, Toddler and Preschool brands, co-developing toys, baby gear, children’s media, programs, and digital play. I am passionate about publishing and have authored a variety of academic and parenting articles. Throughout my career I have also been fortunate to represent brands through Public Relations as Early Childhood Development Play Expert & Consult for Global Markets. Seeing and experiencing how cultures around the world embrace and interpret child development in their own unique ways, continues to inspire me today. But one of the most exciting parts of my professional journey has been fostering 15+ collaborations between Industry, Institutions, Universities, and Early Childhood Development experts – all with a common goal, to improve the lives of children through play.
I am always ready to engage in conversations about children and their play experiences and continue to look forward to connecting with those who share my passion.
Publications
Partnering with child development experts and collaborating on research that supports play-based learning is something I'm really passionate about. I believe it's crucial for shaping the future of education.
Selected Publications
Effectiveness of Storytelling and Gameplay to Ignite Learning.
Thinking Cup, Inc. 2024
This white paper is a comprehensive review of scholarly research, providing evidence of the myriad ways the combination of playing board games and
storytelling supports children’s development and learning. It places specific emphasis on the critical importance of game design in facilitating learning
through play.
Teachers’ role in fostering preschoolers’ computational thinking: An exploratory case study.
Early Education and Development · Jan 1, 2020
Computational thinking (CT) is an important skill to foster in early childhood. However, little is known about teachers’ role in fostering CT in early childhood classrooms. To address this gap, we conducted an exploratory case study to investigate how a teacher supported preschoolers’ CT learning in developmentally appropriate ways using an interactive programmable toy.
Effects of Infant-Parent Play With a Technology-Enhanced Toy: Affordance-Related Actions and Communicative Interactions. Effects of Infant-Parent Play With a Technology-Enhanced Toy: Affordance-Related Actions and Communicative Interactions.
Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 24 (1), 1-17. · Jan 1, 2010
Infant-parent play with toys is an early form of social communication, and the toy features (i.e., affordances), as well as the child’s language competence, contribute to the developmental level of the play and the types of play actions that occur. This research, conducted in cooperation with a toy manufacturer, investigated how the affordances of a technology-enhanced toy were used by 26 infant-parent pairs during six clinical sessions of play with the toy.
Media Use by Infants and Toddlers: A Potential for Play.
In D.G. Singer, R. Michnick- Golinkoff, & K. Hirsh-Pasek (Eds.) Chapter in Play=Learning How Play Motivates and Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth. (pp. 169-191) New York, NY: Oxford University Press. · Jan 1, 2006
It is widely believed that television and videos take the place of spending time with others and playing. Another concern is that parents use television as a “babysitter”. This chapter discusses research regarding infant and toddler media and places it in the context of children’s play and parent-child interactions. It offers techniques that could help caregivers and very young children get the most out of media-viewing experiences, thus improving their learning and development.