It has been shown that play is very important to a childâ€TMs learning. Learning through play helps a child make positive contribution.
The key features of an effective play based learning environment are that children able to play uninterrupted for long periods of time and are able to choose from a range of resources and areas, letting them choose activities on their own accord. Children are able to develop a wide variety of skills by having lots of various resources to choose from. 2.5 Explain why both adult initiated and child initiated play and learning activities are important for children from birth to five years In an Early Years setting we allow children to participate in child initiated play. By allowing children to choose which resources they would like to play with let’s them explore their favourite type of activity, and have a sense of independence.
For this extended assignment I am going to focus on play and the importance of play is for children and young people. I am going to focus on children up to age of 6. “Play is a spontaneous and active process in which thinking, feeling and doing can flourish.” (http://www.playwales.org.uk/ ). Play is Important for children and young people’s as it can help children to build their confidence.
In this piece of work I will be exploring two main key issues in relation to the theme of play and learning. The first key issue is curriculum. Curriculum has a large impact on children’ play and learning as it is created by the Government as a guideline for practitioners to
It stands outside ‘ordinary’ life, and is non-serious but at the same time absorbing the player intensely. It has no particular goal other than itself. Play is not a specific behaviour, but any activity undertaken with a playful frame of mind” (Goldstein, 2012). Play is considered a lens through which children experience and become familiar with the world around them. Children need play as an aspect of their early childhood, otherwise they may suffer both short and long term.
According to Allison James and Adrian James, “Play is defined as pleasurable activities freely engaged in by children; freedom from work; to act frivolously or capriciously” (“Play”). The act of play is of great importance to youth as it develops ways of expressing opinions and voices, some of which have been muted by adults in the constant power struggle that silences children. The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has recognized plays importance, and declares it as a universal right for every child (Ginsburg 1). There are various accounts of ethnographic work concerning child’s pretend play that exhibit youth as social actors, capable of taking part in public life. (“Social Actor”).
Play’ refers to the engagement in activity for pleasure, amusement and recreation. Playing plays a significant role in the development of a child’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills. it increases stimulation, which in turn acts as an aid in enhancing other processes in the brain such as; thought processes, memory and problem-solving skills- all of which are valuable for the future. In this essay, I am going to be focusing on how ‘play’ contributes to a young child’s cognitive development and whether it is an essential aspect of their childhood.
The meaning of play, means participating in activities for amusement, enjoyment and creativity rather than serious or hands-on purposes. Physical, Social and Cognitive are all different developments that occur when playing by themselves or with others. These developments are very important; as children need to learn these skills that play gives them later in life. Every child needs some sort of unstructured playtime everyday. Learning these skills teaches them to get along with others, share and much more.
As a child, toys play a vital role in your life .Simply put,everyone has a toy that they loved playing. For a girl, it maybe a Barbie with colorful dresses, a tea set or a doll house. Boys on the other hand, they usually spend time playing with trucks, cars or lego. Finding from Jerome L.Singer (cited in Toys,play and child development by Goldstein,J.H.,1994) suggests that playing with toys will lay the foundation of critical thinking for children which also stimulate their concentration, creativity and improve problem solving. To satisfy the demand of consumers, toys industry grew up in strength and became a battle among companies.
Thus, she created the play technique, which is where children’s pay is symbolic to unconscious material and is interpreted the same way that dreams and free association in adults are interpreted and this technique helped to later develop play therapy (Donaldson, 2002). Play therapy is where children express their thoughts and feelings through play. Klein was the first person to view children’s play as meaningful activity. Play therapy acts as an outlet for children to safely share their feelings through play, similar to as how an adult would go and seek a therapist to discuss their problems. This also allow the analyst to communicate with the child on an adequate level that would be most beneficial to the child.
Creative play forms maturity and personal opinions in a child's life. Although organized activities can help children grow into responsible adults, it can set them back from the freedom
In the article, The Importance of Play in Your Child’s Development, by Marjorie Bateman describes the meaning of playtime for children also means the learning time for the child about the world. Play helps in the social and emotional development of a child. Parents playtime with their children is the opportunity to spend time with the child, and learn the child’s personality, how their mind works. When the parents give the more attention to their developing children, it gives the child a better awareness of their surrounding and it also helps to build the child’s self-characteristics. With this method of child’s development, it relates to Maria Montessori’s educational and learning theories.
In general, playing is the mutual popular activity among children because playing is fun and flexible, it can be personal, with the presence of others or with the social presence of others (De Kort & Ijsselsteijn, 2008). The researchers and experts believe that the power of play has an important psychological role in children’s development, as reinforced by Sutton-Smith (1993, p. 279) using “play as progress” and “play ethos” by Peter Smith (1988, p. 166) both cited in Pellegrini (1995). Goldstein (2012) stated that pretend play is one of the common types of interactive social play among 2- to 6-years-old children. He also mentioned that as children grow, the nature and function of pretend play will also change from simple imitation to more
Children are able to develop and practise motor skills and bodily movements through physical plays. During some cognitive games, such as board games and educational toys, children can improve their mental fitness and brain function. Play also provides opportunities for children to make friends, to negotiate with others, and to develop their communication skills. It helps extend language and improve children’s social ability. I believed that play is essential to children’s education that cannot be minimized and separated from learning.
Despite it being easy to list down various play activities, it is difficult to come up with a set definition for it although it is widely accepted that play should very much be free, unstructured and mostly child-initiated. The purpose of play and the supposed benefits the different types of play aids in the development of a child will be further discussed. Given that play is such an integral part of a child’s life, based on evolutionary perspectives, there has to be a reason why children engage in play and thus classical play theories attempt to explain the purpose of play.
