Make-Believe Play: A Cognitive Analysis

His attention span ha doesn't develop all the way yet because he didn’t last long at anything he was playing with. He was acting like a two year old where everything is his so he took over what the other children had without asking. With the social and emotional he was doing a lot of side by side play and not playing as interacting with the other children. He had fun playing by his self, but beside someone. He was using his physical motor skills, climbing up the climber just not making a good choice the way he was climbing. He was using fine motor to hold on to the toy and climb at the same time. He was using his hand and eye coordination to do the activities at he was playing with like the cars and poring the toys out the box. He had great motor skills moving along the classroom and picking where he wanted to go on. The language skills I really could not pick up on because he was not verbal just playing. Look like he was lacking in the language I heard another child being vocal asking the teacher what she was holding a conversation. He was helping his self to whatever he wanted didn’t need know help just playing and watching his friends. When he was parallel play, he was following the other child was doing. Typical Develop: The typical development that I noticed with Nick was the parallel play with the other children and not playing together. For 24 months the children “Enjoy being next to children of the same age and shows interest in playing with them, perhaps giving a toy to another child.” (Groark, McCarthy, &Kirk, 2014) Also with his language he did not do much talking just playing and the teacher should have talk to him more. He should have been talking to the other children but since he is at the parallel play he would be talking with just playing. I saw things I need and typical kids doing every day trying new things and things

Both Vygotsky and Piaget thought that language had some effect on childhood development. Both Piaget and Vygotsky highly contributed to the field of education and how their theories apply to the teaching and learning environment. In Berk (2014), Piaget gave a basic framework for teachers to follow by elaborating on “discovery learning, sensitivity to children’s readiness to learn, and acceptance of individual differences” (p. 233). Following Piaget’s guidelines, teachers allow children to learn by exploring their environment and in turn, finding new problems and tasks to solve. They also incorporate activities that are applicable to all children and

A play cycle begins in the pre conscious thoughts of the child, it is at the point of daydream where the playful impulse is created and given out as the play cue. Once this cue is taken up by a responding partner the play cycle begins. The metalude signals the start of the play process and while it supports a single play thought in the Childs consciousness it can change in seconds to become another playful thoughts or an extended version of its original self. The play cue can be given out in many ways, facial expressions, eyes contact, body language or simply through using materials I.e. a ball or a colouring pencil.

Lev Vygotsky believed that social and cognitive development work simultaneously to build and evolve on one another. He believed that social, cultural and personal experience cannot be detached from each other and many things influence the way children learn and develop, not just their own experiences, thus Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky’s ideas were and remain controversial as he had no specific training in psychology or children’s development. His preeminent contribution to children’s development is his recognition of the value of progressing knowledge by means of interaction with educators, peers and family (Mooney, 2000, p. 83). The major ideas of Vygotsky’s theory are scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is a process Vygotsky described as the framework or temporary support for children’s learning. In order for scaffolding to be beneficial, it must be responsive to the child’s needs (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, pp. 106-107).

Unlike Piaget, who was of an academic background and didn’t apply his theories. Never the less, they both theories influenced education and empahsied the importance of assessment however Vygotsky wanted the observation of children and their abilities to be as valied as test scores.

The tightness of a parents’ grip upon their children can reflect the way we function for the rest of our lives. Too tight, and we desire freedom and indulge in rebellion. Too loose, we become lost souls, hopelessly searching for that one constant comfort in a sea of dissatisfaction and loneliness. Lev Vygotsky theorized that a person 's psychological development is formed by his/her past and social environment. Vygotsky focused on the social interactions during the learning process and claimed there is a deep interrelationship between social and cognitive development. He believed that children are curious and actively involved in their own learning. They discover and development new understandings about the world by observing those who are in their immediate surroundings.

171).” This, in other words, is when a child cannot completely perform a task independently but can do it with a bit of assistance from a more competent figure. This zone of proximal development is something I experience with Blair. At two years old she has got to pick out her tooth and hairbrush, but she still needs a bit of help with both operations. Another idea that Vygotsky believed in was the method of scaffolding. This is known as the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth (Feldman 2012). For example, sometimes Blair has a tough time communicating using her words. I often encourage conversation by asking questions that instigate more of a response from Blair. This helps her grow in her communication and is good practice for her. Cognitive development was viewed by Vygotsky as the product of social interactions. He focused on the social aspects of development and learning instead of concentrating on individual performance.

My child 's name is Jude Alexander and he is a male. As a baby he is cautious around new people and situations, but warms up fairly quickly to friendly people. In kindergarten Jude Alexander seemed to have made one or two friends and usually played cooperatively and was sometimes reluctant to join in new activities with unfamiliar children. He performed below average on tests of vocabulary, and the ability to retell a story. He had a real knack for the art projects, and really got interested in the pre-math activities involving working with blocks and geometric shapes. In first through fifth grade he worked cooperatively in groups, usually respects the rights and property of others, and usually demonstrates appropriate peer social interaction. He demonstrates strength in art, all areas of reading, and in spelling and appropriate for the grade level in writing. He needs additional help in the areas of speaking and listening and in the content knowledge of social studies, science and music. He was average in mathematical problem solving, understanding of data, number concepts, graphical applications, and arithmetic computation. In the seventh grade, he consistently contributes to cooperative group activities and respects the rights and possessions of others, and shows age-appropriate social interaction with peers. He demonstrates strength in art, reading, spelling and writing. He was average in math and science, and needs additional

Child development is divided into four areas of development; social / emotional, physical (motor), cognitive, and language. Typically children develop in a sequence of stages in each area. Although development normally follows the same series of stages, there are individual differences in what age each stage occurs. Development in part depends on the experiences a child encounters. According to Wardle (2004), young children learn from their total experience in a program. For example, children not only learn during teacher directed activities, they also learn while playing in interest areas, on the playground, while riding the bus, or during meals. Vygotsky saw the child as part of an

Vygotsky believed that children are actively involved and curious in their own learning and learn best through social interaction. (Schneider, P., & Watkins, R. (1996). He said that play is the biggest component to developing abilities such as self- regulation and language. (Whitebread, 2011). “These two powerful components are predictors of emotional well-being and academic achievement” (Whitebread, 2011). However, due, to the state standards children are required to have more lessons taught during the day, making it less possible for children to talk and play. Teachers are trying to get as much as possible done, which may leave children feeling overwhelmed.

In Early Childhood Development Today stated that “Lev Vygotsky theory did not focus on children with behavioral issues, learning disabilities and children whose language is other than

Play is the business of childhood, allowing your child free rein to experiment with the world around him and the emotional world inside him, says Linda Acredolo, professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis and co-author of Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk and Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love. While it may look like mere child's play to you, there's a lot of work — problem solving, skill building, overcoming physical and mental challenges — going on behind the scenes. Here are some of the things your child is experiencing and learning, along with ideas on how you can help boost the benefits of his play. Play builds the

Vygotsky breaks the difficulty level of the task being performed by the child into three levels of difficulty and the amount of assistance needed. The first stage is the lowest level of difficulty where no assistance is needed from an external influence. The task that the child is trying to perform is easy enough that he or she can perform it on their own individually. In this stage, there is little intellectual development or knowledge obtained. The third stage is the highest level of difficulty where a child cannot execute a task because it is too difficult. This stage requires complete assistance from a parent or teacher to execute the task for the child. The middle stage is key to intellectual development and to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory.

Lev Vygotsky believed that children learn from their own experience. As a teacher I have grown to learn that Vygotsky’s findings are true in so many ways. Just from watching the children in my classroom I see that the Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding play a huge part in the development of a child.

His thinking was influenced by Piaget, and Vygotsky actively tried to initiate a dialogue with Piaget about certain points of disagreements” (Broderick & Blewitt, 2009, p.101). Vygotsky believed a child’s cognitive development was gained through the interaction of one’s culture, as well as language, which is what prompted his theoretical perception development known as Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. “Vygotsky’s promising life was cut short in 1934, when he succumbed to an attack of tuberculosis. In Vygotsky, we have another example of a truly great mind whose ideas have inspired the work of many students of cognitive development” (Broderick & Blewitt, 2009, p.101).