Child Play Research Paper

“What makes something play and what play ‘means’ to culture continues to be potential redefined through changing social practice. The strength of the concept of play relies on the binding together of many different social conditions which people may understand as play, but which cannot be collectively defined by any firm set of rules or boundaries. Because play is not a distinct, discrete set of activities, but rather a characteristic which is present to varying degrees in many different kinds of human behavior, it is necessary to look at play from multiple perspectives, drawing together threads of analysis.”26

Play is central to the development of children, enabling them to make sense of their world as they learn through exploration and experimentation. Susan Isaacs said ‘play is indeed the child’s work and the means whereby he grows and develops’. (Isaacs,1929) Play can support a child’s social, emotional and behavioural development through the following:

In order to understand play and how it may benefit young children we must first be able to define it, however this creates the initial issue. This is due to the fact that the concept of play is disreputably difficult to define (Burghardt 2011). Although despite this we are able to split the concept of play into four various aspects, as described by Linda Rose Krasnor and Debra J. Pepler (1980), positive affect, flexibility, intrinsic movement and nonliterality.

The purpose of this essay is to explore the ideas of theorists that have influenced the changing nature of play and how practitioners can plan purposeful play within curriculums, approaches and frameworks. Other key points of this essay include how play and recreation enrich the lives of children or young adults and what that means for practitioners. Hurd and Anderson, (2011) states that “play is imaginative, intrinsically motivated, nonserious, freely chosen and actively engaging, where as recreation is an activity of leisure and considered to be ‘fun’.

Play has been defined as a dynamic process that develops and changes as it becomes progressively more varied and complex. Play is considered a crucial facilitator for learning and development, and reflects the social and cultural contexts in which children live (Christie, 2001)

‘Play is engaging in activities for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose’ (Oxford Dictionary, 2015). It’s important for children to have opportunities to play because children have a natural curiosity to discover and explore and this is done through play. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, it’s fundamental to the healthy development, learning and well-being of a child (Play England, 2014).

There are many misconceptions about play and the role it plays in a child’s development and overall well-being. Many see play as nonessential because it is not associated with academic learning, that it is nothing more than a distraction and merely takes up time in the day. The problem is that none of it is true. When young children play we can plainly see that the learning and progress has begun in their awakening of abstract thought. There is a freedom that accompanies play because it allows children to achieve a higher level of thought away from their more concrete familiarities (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2011).

Play is defined as an “intrinsically motivated activity that is experienced as pleasurable” (Parham, 1996, p. 71). Rather than a specific behavior, play is an “attitude or process” (Parham, 1996, p. 71). The functionalist view of play is that children engage in play occupations in order to develop skills (Parham, 1996, p. 77). For example, children may be “playing” while riding a bike, but they are also improving balance and gross motor skills. Later in life, play is not a means of development, but rather as a way to relax and achieve a sense of well-being. According to Parham, this is “play for its own sake” (1996, p. 78). Play is important across the lifespan, but serves different purposes over time.

How do we define play within the context of education? This is an important question in the research on play. The word “play” is extremely complex with multiple contexts attached to it, yet it lacks a clear definition or role within the education system. If play is looked up in Wikipedia one will find over a dozen links to different contexts of the word. The Oxford English Dictionary (O.E.D.) provides five three-column pages of definitions and usages of play.

First and foremost, play is essential to a child’s development. Play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child (Play and Childrens, n.d.). Believe it or not play has been proven to be extremely beneficial for children of all ages. It contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of the child (Ginsburg, 2007, ). Play lets children exercise their creativity while developing their

One might consider that play is just something people do for fun, but the truth is, play can foster a child’s development. There is variety types of play and children can be engaged in more than one type of play in a time (NCCA, 2014). The common types of play are heuristic play, ludic play (Hutt, 1979), symbolic play, epistemic play (Hutt, 1979), role play, structured play, imaginative play, manipulative play and rough and tumble play. To take the case of symbolic play, this play is a type of play where children take one thing as another, relying on a mental picture and reconstructing it in the mind (Moyles, 2012). Symbolic play plays

the parents and what they would want in a kid play zone. Parents and kids love to have fun, but parents want their kids to have fun while remaining safe. For instance, when parents take their child or children to a playground or a play zone, the parents want their child to have fun, but also to be safe at the same time. Parents want to make sure that the playground or the play zone is safe enough for their child or children to play on, but kids don’t want to play in a kids zone or playground that is boring. While parents do want an entertaining play zone for their children, the data show that they care about their child’s safety and entertainment.

What is play? For children play is exploration, it is experimentation, play is a tool they use to decipher the mysteries of the world around them. It is during childhood that people learn important skills like social interaction and the ability to adapt to different situations, yet it is viewed as inferior to learning maths and sciences when it should be considered just as or more important. The application of play is a necessary process in the development of the brain, across most mammals on our planet play is used in a variety of ways, it serves as a limited immediate function. Meaning it may not appear important at the time, but it is creating connections in the brain to create a healthy and adept person.

The play is the work of kids and consists all activities done for self-amusements and has behavioral, psychomotor, and social rewards. The activities are child-directed, rewards come from within the kids themselves; they are spontaneous and enjoyable. Playing is a paramount part of the children development process. It enables the children to learn about themselves, colors, shapes, and cause and effects. It is the best way of communicating their feelings such as fear, joy, anxiety and sorrow. Since the early 2000s, most of the kids from different age’s groups and socioeconomic background choose computers and television to more imaginative, self-directed, and creative plays. This has made the kids to be developmentally deprived since imaginative and fantasy games allow the children to explore their world in the most efficient manner and express their innermost feelings, thoughts, fears, hopes, likes, and dislikes. The play is the only way the kids can develop essential skills such as decision-making skills as they are faced with many dilemmas during games which require making decisions without fear of failure or penalty. It helps them gain control of their feelings, thoughts, and actions and achieve self-confidence. Parents should know how crucial it is to spend time with their children. The primary purpose of play in can be categorized as following;

When walking into playground one will find children in all different parts running around and screaming, whether it is in groups or alone. To an adult this may appear chaotic and even nonsensical. When in fact this “chaos” called play, is essential to child growth development, what appears to have great entropy is a very structured and beneficial component to adolescent development. Although play have both tangible and intangible facets it is often difficult to define it.  The Webster Merriam dictionary  defines play very vaguely with, “the conduct, course, or action of a game” because play is too abstract and complex.  Play is a voluntary action that improves one’s development and stimulates feelings; a reward is not usually required.  There are also different types of play, many recognize the benefits of physical play. Moreover, physical play is something that is much easier to observe and analyze. However, there is another type of play called “pretend play” it is more abstract and harder to analyze but it is crucial to child development, more specifically a child’s cognitive skills benefits as well as their social skills. “The Impact of Pretend Play on Children's Development: A review of the Evidence” are one of the several journals that scrutinizes the experiments that suggests the necessity of pretend play for child development.