Theoretical examination of the role of play in young children’s learning and development, and the practitioner’s role in this.

Play is essential for all children in relation to their learning and development. It is a way of relaxing and a ‘time out’ from hard-core learning since play can be thought of as a fun way of learning. Play can help children to express their emotions and help them to adapt to life. Sue Palmer, a literacy consultant, has stated that “Play can mean anything that isn’t work.” One can take this to mean that play is something fun and has nothing to do with a child’s education but it is giving a child a break from their structured learning from say reading and writing. This is just a more active way of learning rather than handing out a pen and paper to the children. In some forms playing can be thought of a thinking process in that for example if a child was playing a game of some sort and did not understand what happens; it makes them question what they are doing.

Children can learn and play at the same time, for example, a child is put in charge of a little shop that they have in their classroom. The other children are allowed to buy goods such as fruits or sweets from the shop using the money that their parents had given them earlier this morning. The child in charge of the shop will have to serve the children which will involve taking the money, calculating the total and ensuring that the correct change is given back. This is learning but in a way that involves taking an active role in learning as well as being fun. Therefore, one can say confidently that the children are ‘playing’ (Moyles, RJ Page 3)

Parents play a crucial role in a child’s learning and development (Moyles, RJ Page 187) and therefore they must not forget that play is a necessity for the children and so they must recognise this and ensure th...

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...e that play is important for a child’s development. If a child is very interactive in their play then one would think that they are more open to learning and will be determined to have a go and try new things. Therefore, one can say that that child will have a playful attitude. Ed Balls, a Children’s Secretary stated that 80% of the children prefer to play outside and 86% of parents agreed that on a nice day their children would prefer to go to the park rather than watch TV.

Personally, I believe that play should be made available to all children from a very young age as it will have a impact on how they turn out at an older age, that is it will show how they shapen out. Therefore play plays an imperative role. Although play should be part of a child’s life, it does not mean that it should be all play and no work, but there should be a balance of the two.