According to Play Therapy (2008), play is “a physical or mental leisure activity that is undertaken purely for enjoyment or amusement and has no other objective”. Play helps children to make links to their learning.
There are five different types of play:
1. Creative
2. Games with rules
3. Language
4. Physical
5. Pretend
CREATIVE PLAY
• This is when children use various objects and their minds to do things. They use certain objects and imagine that they have a different use than they do. They become creative by giving objects a different meaning. For example, creating a drum out of a saucepan and a wooden spoon. The second type of play is games with rules.
GAMES WITH RULES
• This type of play can require co-regulation by the children,
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This type of play helps to develop both gross and fine motor skills of the children. For example, they can learn the coordination to kick a ball. Children also have the opportunity to explore and think about how their body parts work. There are four elements to physical play: physical, exploratory, manipulative and constructive. Physical play is important to help children stay active and maintain a healthy weight.
PRETEND PLAY
• There are three elements of pretend play: role play, small world play and socio-dramatic play. This type of play involves children using their imagination. Most of the time it includes children playing alongside one another which helps them make friends. This extends there social and language skills.
THEORISTS
There are three main theorists whose main study was the study of play: Friedrich Froebel, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. “Froebel (1782-1852) pioneered the importance of play in early childhood education, and this was echoed later by Vygotsky (1896-1934)”. (Bruce, T. 2011 p.84) Froebel believes that children learn best through play. Parents are children’s first educators according to Froebel. He created songs and dances to ensure that children move throughout play. As well as music and dance he also encouraged art and music. Jean Piaget believed that children’s learning becomes whole through play, as there are many stages. Lev Vygotsky believed that through play children thought
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During observation it is important to observe just what the children do and say and not to add in what they are expected to do. Observation of children’s play helps us become more knowledgeable about the way they play. According to Bruce (2011 p.96), “observation begins with description and then uses theory and research to analyse and interpret”. Observing children’s play allows us to open our minds about how children use their imagination and creative minds. Observing children’s play allows practitioners to identify if any of the children may have minor or serious disabilities. In order for practitioners to ensure that the children within the service are reaching their developmental milestones, all stages of play must be observed. Practitioners will be able to see if anything needs to be changed or modified in order to improve the standard of play available to the children. Observing play can also be important to identify the children’s likes and dislikes as well as strengths and weaknesses. Parents will also be interested to hear about what their children have done throughout the day and how they are developing over the course of their time in the
It has been shown that play is very important to a childâ€TMs learning. Learning through play helps a child make positive contribution.
Play accompanies and encourages development while keeping the child interested and engaged (Thompson, Stanford,
Also, play helps children to develop their physical, mental, social and emotionally. If children and young people have access to good play provision then it many benefits for them, these may be: • It will help to increase the children and young people’s awareness, self-esteem and self-respect. • It will give them opportunity to mix with other children whatever their background or ability are. •
1.1 Analyse the theoretical perspectives taken to learning and development through play See Unit 1 Task 2.3 1.2 Explain how children are competent learners from birth to five years See Unit 1 Task 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 2.1 Analyse the types of play that support the areas of learning and development outlined in statutory early years curricula Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) is an important area of learning as this is where children learn about their feelings, build friendships and relationships with others and work on themselves. In the early years settings there are various types of play that can support a child with their PSED. These include; dancing, singing, imaginative play such as role play, drawing, writing, constructing,
Even if you’re not involved in their play it offers a sense of reassurance to children. You can also support a play based approach to learning by encouraging children to play with things they may not have played with before e.g playing with the resource yourself alongside the child. If a child sees what you can do with the resource then they are more likely to eventually participate along side you, copying what you are doing. 4.3 Evaluate different materials and equipment to support play based learning opportunities for children in their early years
Introduction Developmental psychology makes an attempt to comprehend the types and sources of advancement in children’s cognitive, social, and language acquisition skills. The child development theories put forward by both Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson have had substantial impacts on contemporary play therapy. In this essay, I aim to highlight the contribution of these two theorists in their study of various developmental stages, the differences and similarities in their theories, and their contributions to the theory and practice of play therapy. Jean Piaget
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.
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
When arranging activities for play based learning within early years provision there can be barriers towards it from taking place. Before the week begins, planning is needed. When planned activities are prepared resources are needed too. Resources can become a barrier towards play. This is because the resources that were needed were not available to be used.
It is important that children are able to receive holistic care while in a play environment, both inside and outside. Some of the principles which would apply to both indoor and outdoor play include a child centred practice, ensuring the child 's welfare and safety, promoting a child 's rights, and enabling a child to reach their full potential. It is important that we provide a child centred practice, as it promotes a child 's learning and development through play. By having a child centred approach, we should support the children giving them guidance, but to allow the opportunities for them to learn independently, instead of taking over an activity and showing them. It encourages us as practitioners, to encourage children to explore and to make their own
Play therapy refers to a method of psychotherapy with children in which a therapist uses a child's fantasies and the symbolic meanings of his or her play as a medium for understanding and communication with the child. The aim of play therapy is to decrease those behavioural and emotional difficulties that interfere significantly with a child's normal functioning. Inherent in this aim is improved communication and understanding between the child and his parents. Less obvious
Observation is the tool that practitioners use to obtain the necessary information that helps them to plan effectively for each child. Observations are considered to be an important part while working with the children. There are number of reasons why recorded observations are required. To plan for individual children’s needs-
When planning for play the adult creates an indoor and outdoor environment that provides a wide range of play possibilities. The adult prepares, plans for and organizes activities based on assessment information, the aims and learning goals of the EYFS. They provide children experiences that are safe, challenging, inclusive, and enjoyable for play. They structure the indoor and outdoor environment so that it reflects each child’s individual
2.0 Review related to study “The review of related studies and researches is a necessary part of any research. The related studies on the chosen topic carried out by research workers at various levels are called review of related literature” (Perumal, 2010). It is a significant phase in research process and basic part of any research work. It is works as a guide which contains recent knowledge as well as applicable findings along with theoretical and methodological contribution to a particular topic. Literature review use as secondary source of the data.
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 develop their communication skills by making friends and negotiating with others. It helps children extend their language and improve social ability. I believed that play is essential to children’s education that cannot be minimized and separated from learning.