Judith Van Hoorn

The Gift of Play links Dr. Judith Van Hoorn’s personal passion with her professional expertise. Judy first became intrigued with young children’s play in the 1970’s when she was the mother of young children and worked for the Head Start program. She is now professor emerita at the University of the Pacific where she taught child development courses for many years. Judy is co-author of numerous books and articles on play, including Play at the Center of the Curriculum, the international bestselling textbook on play, and Looking at Children’s Play. She is active in organizations that work to improve the lives of young children, and a recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Presidential Citation for outstanding psychologists.

Judy’s favorite times are those spent playing with her husband and their four active grandchildren. Her grandchildren range in age from 3 to 19 years old, so she gets to play pretend and build with blocks with the younger ones, but also gets to hike, cook, and joke around with teenagers, and sing and dance with them all.

Judy’s Affiliations:  

University of the Pacific, Professor Emerita

Defending the Early Years, National Advisory Board Member

Global Grandmothers, Board Member