Educational board game developer SimplyFun Inc. is serious about play, as evidenced by the brand’s newly formed Play Advisory Council. SimplyFun has introduced Professor Emeritus Dr. Toni Linder and play expert Matt Brown as founding members of the council, alongside company President and CEO, Patty Pearcy, and Chairman of the Board, Alan Luce.
A specialist in early childhood development and early childhood special education, Dr. Linder has authored books on transdisciplinary play-based assessment (TPBA) and intervention (TPBI), the method she developed for identifying a child’s strengths and needs through play. While working at the Sewall Child Development Center in Denver, she also developed a corresponding preschool curriculum—Read, Play, and Learn!—based upon her research and consultation with teachers, students and specialists.
Brown is an industry veteran and consultant who has worked for companies like Scholastic, LeapFrog, Conteneo and Speck Design. He also sits on the PBS KIDS Next Generation Media Advisory Board. As a consultant, Brown has helped develop educational systems for kids, new leadership approaches for companies, and collaborative cultures within communities and organizations.
The Play Advisory Council formed as a result of SimplyFun’s ongoing partnership with Brown and Linder, who have helped identify key learning and skill elements in the brand’s award-winning games. As members of the council, they will contribute to SimplyFun’s strategic direction and future offerings.