Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Theories of child development
Jean Piaget Theory Critic
Importance of play in holistic development
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Theories of child development
Childhood play behavior is an important part of every child’s life. Starting in infancy, children begin to explore their world through play. This behavior can serve as an indicator of the child’s cognitive and social development. The research on play and development is a key to helping caregivers understand the importance of childhood play. This paper will focus on the psychological aspects of childhood play behavior and its relation to cognitive development.
According to the cognitive development theory, the purpose of play is to develop intelligence. While children play, it is theorized that they are able to learn to solve problems (Wyver & Spence, 1999). One of the most influential contributors to understanding play was Jean Piaget.
…show more content…
This stage of development is categorized by imagination and symbolic language. During the beginning of this stage, toddlers spend most of their playtime using their imagination and playing pretend. This helps them to decipher the difference between reality and fantasy. Between the ages of five and seven, these children transition from parallel play, to associative and cooperative types of play behavior. These new play behaviors increase their social skills as they interact with peers, siblings, and parents. During this period, children also start engaging in dramatic play with others. This helps them explore different social roles, such as pretending to be a mother while playing house. Dramatic play opens up an entirely new world to children as they use their imagination with others (Hughes, 2006). By playing in a world that does not provide the child with any negative consequences, they are free to play without …show more content…
For example, this theory relies heavily on Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, which does not consider cultural differences. According to the contextual approach, when studying children across cultures it must be done in the context of their “family history, economic circumstances, and degree of comfort in the current social setting” (Hughes, 2006, p.23). The cultural influence on children must be accounted for when interpreting their play behavior. For example, cultures differ on the importance of independence and interdependence on the group. In Euro-American society children are encouraged to be unique individuals and to think for themselves. When children demonstrate this behavior during play they are reinforced. In contrast, Eastern societies encourage a collectivist mentality that stresses group cohesion and interdependence. These cultural differences greatly impact the development of children as well as their play behavior (Hyun, 1998). The cognitive development theory does not account for these differences and suggests that children develop in the same way across cultures, which is not necessarily
Early Childhood is marked by a time in children’s lives when they develop “a confident self-image, more effective control over their emotions, new social skills, the foundations of morality, and a clear sense of themselves as boy or girl” (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). According to Erik Erikson, early childhood is a period of “vigorous unfolding,” one where children have a sense of autonomy and a new sense of purposefulness or initiative (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). Play is a means for children to learn about themselves and they begin to adopt the moral and gender-role standards of the society in which they live (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011). A negative outcome of early childhood is the guilt children feel as a result of excessive punishment and criticism by the adults in their lives (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011)....
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
Wasserman (1992, p135) describes five benefits of play: children are able to create something new, take risks, avoid the fear of failure, ... ... middle of paper ... ... ocial development. Different types of play promote different aspects of social development such as social competence, achievement of sense of self and social perspective-taking skills. However, play is not the single causal factor that promotes a child’s social development.
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.
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:
...ctive. Play is an essential learning tool and one that must not be ignored within the classroom. It is a catalyst to help children develop socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. It is not only an important part of a child’s development as a pupil but also a child’s development as an individual.
In life, no action is absent of a reaction. Every effect is linked to a cause, whether seen or unseen and play is no exception. As adults, play is not a foreign concept to us, we just chose not to engage in it and have diminutive space for it reserved in our day-to-day schedules. However, it is essential in the lives of young children.
Different social environments influence their development and self-regulation. Bergen, Doris, writer of “Psychological Approaches to the Study of Play” believes environmental factors influence behaviors. The author surveys researchers to prove that play effects education and their developmental learning. Child play enhances cognitive development
Play is vitally important to a good childhood. Children need to be free to run around, use their imagination, have adventures, make new friends and simply have fun. Children learn best in an environment that speaks and encourages play. Play allows children to explore, experience and grow. Play builds the foundation of children, play builds self-confidence, independence and creativity.
The importance of play in a young child's life is well recognized. It is essential in the life of a young child as it can "make important contributions to young children's cognitive and socio-emotional development." (Bergen & Fromberg and Coplan & Arbeau, cited in Santrock, 2012, p.437.) It was especially emphasized by Vygotsky (cited in Santrock, 2012, p.438) who believed that play is "an excellent setting for cognitive development", crucial in the first few years of life. During play, children are capable of functioning within the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which means that they are able to do things they are usually not capable of yet (Vygotsky, cited in Brennan, 2012, p. 162.) This ability to operate outside their capabilities is crucial, as it allows children to expand their interests and knowledge, and play is an excellent opportunity to do so (Riley & Savage, 2000,...
Play allows children to make interactions with other children, adults and their surroundings and also letting them explore these which are crucial for their learning and development. They feel play should be a primary source for learning and development and it activates many areas of the children’s bodies and
Physical play allows children to develop agility, strength and coordination, and learn to control their emotions (Robinson, 2008). The social dimension of play also develops significantly as a child gets older, and learns to communicate. Cooperative play begins to prevail as children learn that they can play with each-other to bring greater joy than playing
Play is important to a child’s social and cognitive development. The social and imaginative play of children between the ages two and five, grows immensely during these years of their life (Baril & Corneal, 2010). Children need to be exposed to other children, so that their social interactions can help enhance each child’s ability to communicate and learn. Children can also learn a lot through play by themselves. Children participate in many different types of play, such as, unoccupied play, solitary play, parallel play, cooperative play, associative play, and onlooker play.
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.
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”.