Download - 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