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How does play affect the mental development
Play and mental development essay
Play and child development (thesis)
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Children learn when they explore, create, improvise and imagine. While play provides opportunities for children to learn in an interesting way. Play also provides a sustainable environment where children are encouraged to ask questions, engage in critical thinking and problems solving during play with other children, teachers or parents (Department of Education, 2009). Through play, children challenge each other’s thinking, test out ideas and build new understandings which enhance their intellectual development as children can learn more knowledge from others. Other than that, play can be a way of building social groups while they communicate with other children, and strengthening a relationship as they trust each other while playing with friends as it helps to create a trusting relationship gradually.
Besides that, play can be separated into few categories which are quiet or noisy, messy or orderly, funny or serious, strenuous or effortless, indoor or outdoor (NCCA, 2009). No matter which type of play it is, it helps to develop and enhance children PILES development which
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Children learn and build their new vocabulary to develop and enhance their intellectual development. Instead of giving the answer straight away, teachers may give some hints to help children who do not know the words. It because gives the answer straight away to children will not help them to recognize the words in a long-term memory. Besides that, teachers may also prepare the items that have in the snake path such as broom, fruit, and more to show it to children. It is very helpful for children to recognize the name of the items by touching and seeing. It builds a long-term memory of the child. It also improves the fine motor skills of children when they using their fingers and hands to touch the items and spin the
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
The second section will evaluate the importance of play on different aspects of social development and in various stages of an individual. The third section will analyze how viewpoints on function of play on development are shaped by historical and contextual factors such as culture and economy. Developmental psychologists use various research methods such as naturalistic observations, interviews, experimental research and examining the natural context of children’s everyday interaction within the family to study the role of play in children’s development. They apply different approaches to study different types of play. Play by nature, creates a natural learning environment for the child.
Play is instrumental in the healthy development of children. The development of play throughout an individual life is essential in providing the necessary methods to foster growth and development in critical developmental areas. According to Davies (2011), play is instrumental in providing a bridge for the child to transition from a toddler with a limited capacity to understand the world into a child in the middle years who can think logically. Play is also important in fostering cognitive development, social development, language and communication, moral development, self-regulation, and sense identity.
The word play cannot be easily defined because it always depends on the contexts and the contexts also vary. There are different forms of play such as fantasy play, free flow play, constructive play, imaginative play, role play, socio-dramatic play, structured play, pretend play and heuristic play. These forms of play are categorised as “Play as learning”, and “Play as Practice” (Macintyre 2001:6). Moyles (2005), states that it is quite adverse that the phrase play has numerous meanings, and this makes parents to be wary of it. Meckley (2002) in his framework suggests that all different types of play involves varieties of activities and behaviours which results in diverse developmental and learning outcomes. Research suggest that the means to spoken language development in children’s brain is hearing language consistently because it is as a result of this that they would be able to speak (Brotherson,2005).There are evidences that toddlers who experienced talking with their mothers when they were infants have advanced vocabularies and a firm foundation for future communication. Snow (1997) claims that children who are deprived of language experiences at age four encounter a breach which barely expands over the school years. Claxton (1984) defined play as a method and approach which offer learning culture in which children’s fundamental learning needs can be met. He argued that these needs include the chance to communicate, question, interact with others and be part of a wider social experience in which flexibility, lenience and self –discipline are crucial. Moreover, different typ...
A major question that is continuously being researched and observed is whether children’s play is beneficial to children’s development. While many scientists have proved that play is, in fact, helpful in the development of children, I want to research how the different types of play affect children’s development, specifically children that are transitioning from late infancy to toddlerhood. The four different types of play that I will focus on observing is exploratory and manipulative play, functional or relational play, social play routines and pretend play. Furthermore, I would observe the children’s agency during their play and the social structures that can prevent children from playing, thus, resulting in lack of development.
Play helps equip children for what life may throw at them. Children are born to be actively engaged and explore the world with their own eyes. Through play children learn what it means to fail in life as well as what it means to accomplish a goal. Play is not only a strategy to keep children entertained in early childhood, but also allows children to learn how to create and work together at an early stage. Children at play has been undervalued by society without realizing that “playfulness is that benign base on which the most valuable worlds of children can be successfully built (Iakov, 2012, p. 25),” meaning that play is a fundamental strategy that assist children to develop experiences for the future. It is very upsetting that society undervalues play without acknowledging that play allows a child to express his sentiments and understand how to deal with emotions. Also, play has the power to teach children about themselves. Specifically, a child will “begin to have an ever-greater influence on perception and understanding of (certain aspects of) the real world and real events- past, present, and future- and begins to define the relation with the real world (Iaakov, 2012, 26).” This demonstrates that just as food helps build the body, play helps a child develop their mind for what lies ahead of them. During the observation at the Jewish center, the three activities done in class demonstrated cognitive and social learning through play and activities.
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.
The word “play” has numerous meanings to different people in different contexts. Therefore it cannot have one definition and is described in a number of ways. Smith (2010) describes play as involvement in an activity, purely for amusement and to take part for fun. That play is “done for it’s own sake, for fun, not for any external purpose.” (Smith, 2010. P4) Therefore, as one precise definition cannot be presented for the word ‘play,’ it is described in a number of ways such as social dramatic play. Briggs and Hanson (2012) portray social dramatic play as the building blocks of a child’s ability to accept the possibility to step into another world, building and developing on children’s higher order thinking, accentuating the child as a social learner. Another example of play is exploratory play, which is described as children being placed in an explorer or investigator role, to identify the cause or affect a resources that is presented to them has. (Briggs, M and Hanson, A. 2012) Games are also another example of play. They are included on the basis that playing games with rules, regardless of age, can develop a child’s intellectual capabilities along with their physical, behavioural and emotional health. (Briggs, M and Hanson, A. 2012).
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:
Children have a natural inclination to play, alongside a natural instinct to learn and to be curious and inventive, which are characteristics of the human race in general. This quote taken from Janet Moyles is a good starting point for this essay. It is well known that children love to play. If a child were to be left to his/her own devices they would happily play and create new worlds anywhere they were left. It has been well documented and researched that children learn excellently through play. However they are not always given the opportunity to do so, instead being told to, ‘finish your work and then you can go play’. Obviously this is not always the case, but the fact that it is a common practice shows that we do not all fully appreciate the importance of play to children’s learning. This essay will attempt to show how children learn through play, making reference to current theory and practice. I will also give examples from my own first-hand experience of how children learn and develop as people through play.
Through play children’s development of social and emotional understanding is built upon as they can explore and experiment with different emotions in a safe context. When children attend school and day care centres they are exposed to children from vast backgrounds, cultures and families, this assists them with developing respect for cultural differences. Play can develop peer relationships which have several functions including emotional support, socio-emotional development, self-esteem and cognitive development. Relationship development amongst peers supports development of sense of identity, self-worth, social and moral growth and respect. Abundant research has been completed on the benefits and importance of play in the early years of a child’s life and its influence on lifelong success.
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.
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.
Before diving into my research, I reflected on the knowledge I already knew regarding play and play based learning. From experience, I know that play is an enjoyable activity for children, and even some adults. I know that there are different ways one can play. For example, playing with others is known as cooperative play and playing alone is considered solitary play. There are different types of play. For example, there is dress up or pretend games, which is considered dramatic, play and there is playing with building blocks which is constructive play. After my reflection I realized that I was more knowledgeable on the action of playing rather then the benefits of it.
By interacting with others in play settings, children learn social rules such as, taking turns, trade, cooperation, sharing, rules, and mixing with other. They discover scenes and stories, solve problems, and negotiate their idea through social barriers. They know what they want to do and work conscientiously to do it. they learn the powerful lesson of pursuing their own ideas to a successful conclusion. Also, support most children progress from an egocentric view of the world to an understanding of the importance of social skills and rules, they learn that games such as follows the Leader, baseball, and soccer cannot work without everyone obeying to the same set of rules. It teaches children life has rules (laws) that we all must follow to function effectively. Research shows that children who involve “(in complex forms of socio-dramatic play have greater language skills than non-players, better social skills, more empathy, more imagination, and more of the subtle capacity to know what others mean. They are less aggressive and show more self-control and higher levels of thinking”.