Hirsh-Pasek received her BS summa cum laude in psychology and music from The University of Pittsburgh and her PhD in human development from the University of Pennsylvania.

A Mandate for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. (co-authored with R. M., Golinkoff, L. Berk, . & D. Singer, D. 2009)Celebrate the scribble: Appreciating children’s art. (co-authored with R. M. Golinkoff, 2007)Play=Learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth (co-edited with D. Singer & R.M. Golinkoff)Action meets word: How children learn verbs (co-edited with R.M. Golinkoff, 2006)Child Care and Child Development: Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (co-edited with NICHD Study of Early Child Care Network, 2005)Einstein never used flashcards: How our children really learn and why they need to play more and memorize less. (co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 2003)Becoming a word learner: A debate on lexical acquisitio. (co-edited with R.M. Golinkoff, N. Akhtar, L.Bloom, G. Hollich,, (2000)Breaking the language barrier: An emergentist coalition model for the origins of word learning. (co-authored with G. Hollich & R.M. Golinkoff, 2000)How babies talk: The magic and mystery of language acquisition (co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 1999)The Origins of grammar: Evidence from comprehension. (Co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 1996)Academic instruction in early childhood: Challenge or pressure? (co-edited with L. Rescorla and M. Hyson)