Children develop normally when they are exposed to different types of play that allow them to express themselves while using their imaginations and being physically active. According to the Center for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness, “Play is child’s work”; this is true because it is a child’s job to learn and develop in their first few years of life, in order for them to do this, they play. Not only is playing a child’s full time job, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights listed play as a right of every child. Through their full time job of play, the children develop emotionally, socially, physically, and creatively. Children need to participate in child-led play in order to facilitate healthy development of their minds, body, and creativity. Play directly influences how children develop both emotionally and socially. Children learn how to express their emotions and cope with their feelings as they experiment with different characters in their play. Play gives children a “harmless outlet to their built up aggression” (CHETN). This is displayed when a child becomes angry, upset, or stressed about a situation in their lives; these young children may not be old enough or have the proper communication tools to communicate what they are feeling. Therefor they may choose to play with objects that depict the emotions that they are feeling and attempt to cope. Simply said, a child will use play to explain how they are feeling rather than acting out in a negative fashion (Wehrman 351). This not only works for the child when expressing emotions, it can also be effective for whole families in coping with emotions. When families come together and play they may be “less analytical and intellectual and more ... ... middle of paper ... ...opment and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/ peds.2006-2697 Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (n.d.). Why is play important? Social and emotional development, physical development, creative development. In Creative thinking and arts-based learning preschool through fourth grade (2006 ed., pp. 53-55). Retrieved from http://www.education.com/ reference/article/importance-play--social-emotional/ Murray, L. J. (Ed.). (2010). Baby: The all-important first year. New York City, NY: DK. Pasquariello, P. S., Jr. (Ed.). (1999). Book of pregnancy and child care. New York City, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Wehrman, J. D., & Field, J. E. (2013). Play-based activities in family counseling. American Journal of Family Therapy, 14(4), 341-352. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2012.704838
Early Childhood is marked by a time in children’s lives when they develop “a confident self-image, more effective control over their emotions, new social skills, the foundations of morality, and a clear sense of themselves as boy or girl” (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). According to Erik Erikson, early childhood is a period of “vigorous unfolding,” one where children have a sense of autonomy and a new sense of purposefulness or initiative (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). Play is a means for children to learn about themselves and they begin to adopt the moral and gender-role standards of the society in which they live (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011). A negative outcome of early childhood is the guilt children feel as a result of excessive punishment and criticism by the adults in their lives (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011)....
... play has a strong impact on a child’s emotional development as well (Hjelmstedt & Collins, 2008).
Childhood play behavior is an important part of every child’s life. Starting in infancy, children begin to explore their world through play. This behavior can serve as an indicator of the child’s cognitive and social development. The research on play and development is a key to helping caregivers understand the importance of childhood play. This paper will focus on the psychological aspects of childhood play behavior and its relation to cognitive development.
All children play and it is something that most children do because they are having fun, but without realising children are developing and learning skills when they are engaged in play. Play helps stimulate the mind as it is practical and gives children the chance to explore and experience new situations. It can also ensure that children get to think by themselves and be spontaneous as they control their own play. Children get the chance to be creative and imaginative which develops independence for children. Play is vital for child development and helps children develop five main areas of development:
Many theorists have tried to define play as a concept, however, no two agree on a set definition. Their backgrounds and induvial lifestyles influence the way they see the importance of play. Reed and Brown also believe that there isn’t an agreed definition of play because is something that is felt rather than done (Reed & Brown, 2000 cited in Brock, Dodd’s, Jarvis & Olusoga, 2009). In spite of this, it is clear that most theorists uphold the ethos that play is imperative to a child’s learning and development. There is a wide range of different studies and theories which helps us develop our own perception of what play is. In my personal experience I have found play to be a way of expressive our emotions, exploring and learning new things, thus
Thinking back on my childhood, I first remember all the times I played outside in my backyard. I would pretend to dig up dinosaur bones or create imaginary realms of ancient lands; there I would perform diplomatic services for the people in need. I was usually alone, and those are some of my fondest memories. When I first decided to become a teacher and thought about what is important to my philosophy on how children learn, I immediately knew I was a strong believer in play. Although, many decision makers such as legislators and school district leaders believe in more academic types of learning styles, my paper will discuss why play is so powerful and important to children.
...ctive. Play is an essential learning tool and one that must not be ignored within the classroom. It is a catalyst to help children develop socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. It is not only an important part of a child’s development as a pupil but also a child’s development as an individual.
An Article by Dr. Leong and Dr. Bodrova (2016) stated that play is beneficial to children’s learning especially when it reaches a certain degree of complexity. When they engage in play activities most of their early years, they learn to delay gratification and to prioritize their goals and actions. They also learn to consider the perspectives and needs of other people and to represent things significantly to regulate their behavior and actions in a cautious, intentional way.
“For young children, there is no distinction between play and learning; they are one and the same. Playing is a priority in early childhood, yet not all play is the same” (Butler, 2008, p. 1). Since the beginning of mankind children have imitated adults and learned to survive through play. Evidence of this includes toys and board games from 6,000 years ago that have been found in Egypt and Asia (Dollinger, 2000). In the last two centuries, child’s play has been observed and studied by theorists and recognized as an important tool for adult life. Three theorists that studied children and spent their lives researching how children develop were Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. These theorists agreed that from the time a child is two years old, play, communication, and social development set the foundations for their future. These psychologists each have agreeable theories and each had theories that have been challenged by modern day researchers. Play, culture, and society were placed in a different order of importance for each. The toddler years impact adults in both positive and negative ways, depending on what type of reinforcement a child receives. These reinforcements, either positive or negative, influence an individual mentally, physically, emotionally and socially.
Play is a common word used during the early year’s program in the current educational era. Play is been implemented as a subject in the current international school that I am attached too. Children play every day and it is now seen as being crucial to the development of the child (Tassoni and Hucker, 2000:1). Playing is a way of experiencing bodily, emotional sensations through engaging with the immediate real, imagined social and physical environment in any number of ways, when the player has a sense of control (Wolmuth, 2000:2). Thus, play carries a heavy weight in student’s early days. Tassoni and Hucker added by stating that playtime is often said to be child’s work carry out playing (2000:1a). Truly speaking, children get involved in activities when there is anything to do with play. In the current international school that I am attached with, there are many activities being conducted during playtime such as sand play, water play, dough play, etc. The activities conducted are layout differently every single week. The materials used are the same. On the other hand, after every activity, students will need to achieve the objective and learning outcome listed by the teacher during water play.
Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2010, July 20). Why is Play Important? Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Creative Development | Education.com.
In my research “The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Development” States.. “Play is essential for a child’s development and for learning life skills. While
Play is important for a child’s holistic development which comprises of physical (gross and fine motor development), intellectual (analyzing, understanding, concentrating), language (communicating with others like speech), emotional (emotions, identity) and social (relationship with others) (MCI, Child development module, chapter I, 2013). A holistic approach revolves around the child and sees each child as an individual. All children pass through each area of development and learn different things at different stages of growth like crawling, walking, etc. All are linked together and if any one aspect is not achieved then the child will have delays or problem reaching his milestones (Sheridan, 2002). The play should be always initiated by the child otherwise the child will not enjoy their play or get creative.
Play is necessary for normal cognitive development. When looking at the stages developed by Jean Piaget, it is not difficult to understand how his theory influenced the concept of play therapy. His four stages are greatly influenced by play. In the first stage (sensorimotor) the child learns about object permanence as well as how to master his or her own bodies and external objects. The child does so through practiced play, he or she learns to manipulate objects and the effects of play on their environment. During the second stage (preoperational) the child’s language is at its peak learning, and the child does so through role playing and make-believe games. By the end of this stage, the child starts to become more interested in games with rules, structure and social interaction. The third stage (operational), the rules of play are more focused on the social aspects and are connected with acceptance by the group. During the last stage, (formal operations) the child’s play becomes more competitive and games with codes of rules begin to
In Kindergarten school, some parent believes play is the best way for young children to learn the conceptions, skills, and set a solid foundation for later school and life success. In the other hand, many parents disagree and believe play is a waste of time, messy, noisy, and uneducationall. I believe play is not waste of time, but it something worth to fight for, in this presentation I would show parent the main importance of some of the numerous kinds of play, and why play is a fundamental basis for improving children’s ability to succeed in school and life.