theories of play

Theories of Play

Why do

children Play?

PLAY…“The natural unfolding of the germinal leaves of childhood” - Froebel

“Free self-expression for the pleasure of expression” - Seashore

“The motor habits and spirit of the past persisting in the present.” - Hall

“Instinctive Practice, without serious intent, of activities which will later be essential to life” - Groos

PLAY…

is the way a child explores his world, builds skills,

exercises his imagination and learns through

experience.

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Importance of PLAYConsider what is happening when a child plays with blocks:

Physical development:

He is learning how to control small muscles and how to coordinate eyes and hands to stack and balance the blocks. SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Importance of PLAYConsider what is happening when a child plays with blocks:Cognitive development:

He is developing mathematical concepts by sorting the blocks by size and shape and figuring out what number of blocks are needed to fill a space. SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Importance of PLAYConsider what is happening when a child plays with blocks:Development of imagination, creativity, and problem solving skills

Using his imagination, he figures out how to make it—and how to fix it when “construction” doesn’t go as planned.

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Importance of PLAYConsider what is happening when a child plays with blocks:Social and Emotional Development

His self-directed activity will help him enjoy learning and experience success—all of which build confidence, satisfaction, and the motivation to learn.

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Importance of PLAY

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Developmen

t of motor skills

Sharpening of the senses

Development

of empathy and

the ability to express emotions

Understanding and practice of sharing, turn

taking, and other peer cooperation

skills

Increasing control of

compulsive actions and learning to accept delayed gratification

Building ordering and sequencing

skills

Importance of PLAY

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Reducing aggression

Increasing

concentration skills

Learning to navigate

assigned roles

Development of capacity to be flexible

Expansion of imagination, creativity, and

curiosity

Increasing the size of the vocabulary and the ability to

comprehend language

Early Classical Theories

•Schiller 1873 Spencer 1875

Surplus Energy Theory

•Lazarus 1883 Patrick 1916Relaxation Theory

•RousseauInstinct Theory•G’Stanley Hall 1906Recapitulation

Theory

•Groos 1898Pre-Exercise Theory

•Appleton 1919Growth Theories

•Lange 1902 Claparde 1911Ego-Expanding Theories

SOURCE: California State University Northridge Website

Early Classical Theories•Schiller 1873 Spencer 1875Surplus Energy

Theory

Play is the result of surplus energy that exists because the young are freed from the business of self-preservation through the activities of their parents.  

Energy finds its release in the aimless exuberant activities of play.

It does not explain why people with little energy still play

Early Classical Theories

•Lazarus 1883 Patrick 1916Relaxation Theory

Play is seen as a mode of dissipating the inhibitions built up from-fatigue due to tasks that are relatively new to the organism.

To play is to RELAX…

Early Classical Theories

•Mitchell and Mason, 1948Recreation Theory

Play as a way to recuperate from fatigue experienced from hard work

Play restores energy and provides more benefit to the body than idleness

Early Classical Theories

•RousseauInstinct Theory

Play is inherited and that the child will engage in behaviors and activities instinctively.

Play is INSTINCTIVE

Early Classical Theories

•G’Stanley Hall 1906Recapitulation Theory

Play serves to rid the organism of primitive and unnecessary instinctual skills carried over by hereditary.  

 “Play as the result of biological inheritance.”

Early Classical Theories

•Groos 1898Pre-Exercise Theory

Play is the necessary practice for behaviors that are essential to later survival.

The playful fighting of animals or the rough and tumble play of children are essentially the practice of skills that will later aid their survival.

Early Classical Theories

•Appleton 1919Growth Theories

Play is a response to a generalized drive for growth In the organism.  

Play serves to facilitate the mastery of skills necessary to the function of adult behaviors.

Early Classical Theories

•Lange 1902 Claparde 1911Ego-Expanding Theories

Play is nature's way of completing the ego an expressive exercising of the ego and the rest of the personality; an exercising that develops cognitive skills and aids in the emergence of additional skills.

Current Theories Infantile

Dynamics

Lewin

Cathartic Theory

Freud 1908

Psychoanalytic Theory

Buhler 1920

Anna Freud 1937

Cognitive Theory

Piaget 1962

SOURCE: California State University Northridge Website

Current Theories

•LewinInfantile Dynamics

Play occurs because the cognitive life space of the child is still unstructured, resulting in failure to discriminate between real and unreal.  

Current Theories

•BuytendijkInfantile Dynamics

The child plays because he is a child and because his cognitive dynamics do not allow for any other way of behaving.  

Play is an expression of the child's uncoordinated approach to the environment.

Current Theories

•Freud 1908Cathartic Theory

Play represents an attempt to partially satisfy drives or to resolve conflicts when the child really doesn’t have the means to do so.  

When a child works through a drive through play he has at least temporarily resolved it.

Current Theories •Buhler 1920•Anna Freud 1937

Psychoanalytic Theory

Play represents not merely wish-fulfilling tendencies but also mastery -- an attempt through repetition to cope with overwhelming anxiety-provoking situations.  

Play is defensive as well as adaptive in dealing with anxiety'.

Current Theories •Piaget 1962Cognitive

TheoryPlay is derived from the child's working out of two fundamental characteristics of his mode of experience and development.  

These are accommodation and assimilation -- the attempts to integrate new experiences into the relatively limited number of motor and cognitive skills available at each age.

Piaget’s Theory(3 Stages of Children’s Development)

Sensorimotor Stage(Birth – 2 yrs)

Preoperational Stage

(2 – 6 yrs)

Concrete Operations

(6-11 yrs)

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

Piaget’s Theory(3 Stages of Children’s Development)

Sensorimotor Stage(Birth – 2 yrs)

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

The child at this stage uses senses and motor abilities to figure out the world.

Through repetitive play, the young child learns how to keep in mind what's out of sight and how to cause a reaction.

Piaget’s Theory(3 Stages of Children’s Development)

Preoperational Stage(2 – 6 yrs)

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

The child acquires the ability to use symbols but still requires physical props and concrete situations to solve problems.

Piaget’s Theory(3 Stages of Children’s Development)

Concrete Operations(6-11 yrs)

SOURCE: ASTRAtoy.org by Nancy Stanek

From physical experience, the school-age child learns to conceptualize.

Student relies on experiment and discovery to hotwire the brain

Mildred B. Parten

SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by Carolyn R. Tomlin

1932 - developed a system for classifying participation in play.

This organization is still considered one of the best descriptions of how play develops in children (Gander, Mary and Harry W. Gardiner, 1981).

PARTEN’s Classification of Play

Unoccupied Play

Onlooker Behavior

Solitary Independent

PlayParallel

PlayAssociate Play

Cooperative Play

SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by Carolyn R. Tomlin

PARTEN’s Classification of Play

Unoccupied Play

SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by Carolyn R. Tomlin

Not actually “playing”

watches anything that will catch his interest

may play with his own body, move around or follow a teacher

PARTEN’s Classification of Play

Onlooker Behavior This stage is

termed “behavior” instead of play because this child is content in watching other children

SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by Carolyn R. Tomlin

PARTEN’s Classification of PlaySolitary

Independent Play Children prefer to

play by themselves and are not comfortable interacting with other children.

SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by Carolyn R. Tomlin

PARTEN’s Classification of Play

Parallel Play

This stage is also known as adjacent play or social coaction. 

Children occupy space near others, but seldom share toys or materials.

SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by Carolyn R. Tomlin

PARTEN’s Classification of Play

Associate Play

“Every child for himself.”

At this stage, the children are beginning to engage in close personal contact, however, they still consider their own viewpoint as most important. SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by

Carolyn R. Tomlin

PARTEN’s Classification of Play

Cooperative Play

Highest form of children working and playing together

They share, take turns, and allow some children to serve as leaders for the group

SOURCE: Early Childhood News The Professional Resource for Teachers and Parents by Carolyn R. Tomlin

References:

http://www.astratoy.org/the-importance-of-play.asp

http://www.csun.edu/~sb4310/theoriesplay.htm

http://www.astratoy.org/piaget-and-play.asp http://

www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=618

http://theories-theorists.wikispaces.com/Julie+-+Theory+of+Play

http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/css287/287CLSCL.pdf