CLO3- Use play as a way of knowing to

develop the capabilities of young children in

all developmental domains.
The purpose and function of play and the relationship
these have to play in the different domains

What is Play?
What your definition of play?
It is hard to define.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bZPo
OMfsVg
The word play is usually used to describe
the activities of children from babyhood up
till the early teenage years

Definitions
Play is a pleasurable activity that is
engaged for its own sake
Play is what children and young people do
when they follow their own ideas and
interests, in their own way and for their
own reasons

Read the handout by Santrock and

answer the questions on the Function
and Types of Play

Partens classic study of play

Parten based her classification of play on
observations of children in free play
They were nursery children
Parten classified 6 types of play

Partens types of play

Unoccupied play stands on one spot and
performs random movements
Solitary play plays alone
Onlooker play - watches other children
play
Parallel play plays separately from others
but with toys that are the same as others
Associative play - involves social
interaction but no organization
Cooperative play - involves social
interaction with organised activities

Limitation of Partens categories

Does not look at other types of play that
are important in childrens development
Looks at role of play in childs social
world but does not look at cognitive and
social aspects of play

Contemporary types of play

Sensorimotor play
Practice play
Pretense/symbolic play
Social play
Constructive play
Games

Importance of play
Watch the video and make a list of ways in
which you believe that play is important.
Share this with the class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sby38B
bLZuY

Theories of play

Help us observe children at play

Help us describe children at play
Help us to develop our understanding of play
Help us to analyze and make sense when we
observe play
Many education theorists have put forward
ideas of play (Froebel, Montessori, Bruner,
Dewey, Isaacs etc). We will look at four theories

Freud

Play tells us important things about a childs

inner life
Children resolve tensions through play
Play provides an acceptable opportunity to
express unfulfilled wishes; what is desired
can be obtained in the world of fantasy
Play contributes to formation of self

Erikson
Make believe play allows children to learn
about their social world and try out new
skills
Play and the ego offers the child a safe
place to work through conflicts
Play and autonomy play situations put
the child in charge
Play and initiative allows exploration
and manipulation of ideas

Piaget
Play provides a relaxed atmosphere in which
learning can occur
Playing is not the same as learning
Types of play:
1. Practice play (matches sensorimotor stage)
2. Symbolic play (matches pre-operational
stage)
3. Games with rules (matches concreteoperational stage)

Vygotsky
Emphasised on make believe play
Use play as a means to grow socially
Play is central source of development
Play serves as a zone of proximal
development

Learning through play

Play helps children to learn and develop
their skills in the following domains
Cognitive
Linguistic
Motor
Social and Emotional
Imagination and Creativity

Cognitive

Cognitive development refers to the

process of growth and change in
intellectual/mental abilities such as
thinking, reasoning and understanding.

Play nurtures a childs thinking skills such

as exploration, manipulation, problem
solving and logical memory

Linguistic

Linguistics, the study of language,

concerns itself with all aspects of how
people use language and what they must
know in order to do so.

Play gives children the chance to develop

their communication skills and expand
their vocabulary

Motor
Two types of motor skills gross & fine
Gross skills
Play develops body management, balance,
bodily co-ordination, strength, and
confidence.
Fine skills
Play promotes hand-eye coordination,
spatial awareness, fine motor control,
accuracy, two handed coordination and
manipulative strength.

Social and Emotional

Social and Emotional development involves helping

children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and
others; to form positive relationships and develop
respect for others; to develop social skills and learn
how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate
behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their
own abilities.

Play helps children learn norms and rules and build their
self confidence and self esteem.

Social

Through play the child learns norms, rules

and cultural patterns within society

Emotional
Play helps children develop emotionally by:
Building self-confidence and esteem
Experimenting with various emotions
Releasing emotions from trauma

Creativity and Imagination

Imagination makes images in the mind

about ideas thoughts and feelings and
relationships with the self, others and the
universe

Creativity is the process by which

children turn these images into creations.
They try out ideas, feelings and
relationships in role/pretend play.

Developing creative and imaginative play

These items help the child develop creative
and imaginative play, whether playing alone
or in small groups:
Blocks (variety of sizes)
Boxes (several shapes)
Large beads and string
Puzzles (wooden or board)
Sand, sifters, cups and spoons
Water and small cups
Play dough
Dress up clothes and costumes

Watch the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtGJ022
zUeI
What types of play can be seen?
How can learning be developed in each
domain?

12 features of play (Bruce, 1991)

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Using first hand experiences

Making up rules
Making props
Choosing to play
Rehearsing the future
Pretending
Playing alone
Paying together
Having a personal agenda
Being deeply involved
Trying out recent learning
Coordinating ideas, feelings and relationships for free-flow play

Bruce (2005) devised the 12 features of free-flow play as a

useful tool for analysing play

Free flow play

Where children choose or decide how to
amuse themselves and with what.
It is described as open ended.
It allows children to have a sense of
individualism and give them an opportunity
to make decisions.
This is the kind of play that Tina Bruce
proposes is most supportive of childrens
learning in early educational settings.
This play allows them to wallow in the play
and bring in skills managed elsewhere
(Bruce, 1991)

1. Using first-hand experiences:

In their play, children use the first hand
experiences that they have in life.

2. Making up rules:
Children make up rules as they play, and so
keep control of their play

3. Making props
Children make play props

4. Choosing to play:
They cannot be made to play

5. Rehearsing the future:

Children rehearse the future in their role play

6. Pretending:
Children pretend when they play

7. Playing alone:
Children play alone sometimes

8. Playing together:
Children and/or adults play together, in
parallel, associatively, or cooperatively in
pairs or groups.

9. Having a personal agenda:

Each player has a personal play agenda,
although they may not be aware of this

10. Being deeply involved:

Children at play will be deeply involved,
and difficult to distract from their deep
learning
Children at play wallow in their learning

11.Trying out recent learning:

Children try out their most recent
learning, skills and competencies when
they play
They seem to celebrate what they know

12. Coordinating ideas, feelings and

relationships for free-flow play:
Children at play coordinate their ideas,
feelings and make sense of relationships
with their family, friends and culture.
When play is coordinated it flows along in
a sustained way. It is called free-flow play.

Watch the following video and fill the

tables:
http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Teachers-TV-Play-to-Learn-6038932/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e_8vo-Up-M

What types of play can be seen?

How are the domains being developed?
Link to the 12 features of play

Promoting learning through play

Share ideas and talk things over
Participate to stimulate language and
extend learning
Present new ideas, knowledge or
techniques
Link play activities to real life situations
Develop childrens capacity to solve
problems, explore and discover
encourage social interaction