My Own Framework Of Play

I believe that children learn through play. In play, children make choices, solve problems, converse, negotiate and resolve conflicts. They practice and develop physical, social, intellectual, and language abilities. As they play, children are able to express and work out emotional aspects of everyday experiences and events they discover upsetting. Through playing together and participate in different roles, children also develop in their skills to perceive something from another person’s perspectives and to involve in leading and following behaviors—both of which they will need to get along well as adults. In all these ways, play can be a milieu

The relationship between play and learning seems obvious to many child professionals and parents, and yet there are still lack of understanding surrounding the importance of children's play. Some people believe that children need to "work" not play, and that playing serves no useful purpose in a learning and development environment. This is surprising considering that play, with its high levels of motivation and potential enjoyment empowers children (as well as people

Scaffolding is “support that enables a child or novice to solve a problem, carry out a task, or achieve a goal that would be beyond his or her unassisted efforts” (2014). Parents, caregivers, and other adults scaffold how to play with a toy, how to get dressed, how to hold a spoon, use a cup, etc. Scaffolding is being done every day unintentionally by anyone who comes in contact with a child. In the Voyager room we see the teacher scaffolding one of the girls when the teacher tells the student to group her animals by size. This was a great way for the student to work on her greatest to least identification skills. Another way a teacher was able to scaffold in the classroom was mediating a fight. A little boy and girl began to fight and so the teacher was able to show them the proper way to talk out a disagreement by walking them through the steps of turn taking when

The social element of symbolic play is a vital aspect to be taken into account in the cognitive development of children. Vygotsky (1978) theorised that children learn and practice social skills with their parents, and they develop this learning through social interactions. Piaget also emphasised the significance of social interaction so the child can progress outside of their egocentrism that is linked to the pre operational stage. (London, 2001) Similansky 1968 also supported Piaget theory, and studied the impact that symbolic play has on children’s cognitive and social development. The Smilansky scale developed by Smilansky and Shefatya in 1990 assesses the child’s maturity through socio-dramatic play, identifying five elements.

The terms “play”, “learn” and “teach” are commonly used in the early childhood sector. This essay attempts to define and interconnect these terms to produce a holistic understanding of how play can be used as a medium to help children learn.

Although it has been 15 years since I played with building blocks and enjoyed taking a nap in a kindergarten classroom, playing with other kids and using games to learn fundamental skills like counting and how to write the alphabet are some of the most vivid memories from my fairly young childhood. Even going back and visiting the elementary school I attended, I don’t see the “formal education” method that David Kohn mentions in his NYTimes article, “Let Kids Learn Through Play”.

This essay will outline the theoretical rationale for play in the development of young children. Boushel, Fawcett and Selwyn (2000:57) state, ‘Play is not easily defined...’ Play means different things to different people. Rubin, Fein and Vandenberg (1983) {cited in Hughes, 2010} suggest play should be intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, pleasurable, non literal and actively engaging. Play gives children freedom of choice, it allows them to lead their own learning, follow their own learning intentions and express themselves freely. There are many reasons that lead us to believe play is crucial for child

In the case of play, there has being a long time, been misunderstood as the opposite of work or something not serious. Actually, using play to mentor children does not mean the curriculum is not professional and beneficial. In contrast, it means cherishing children and respecting the nature of learning at their age. In fact, play is essential for children’s development and for their learning life skills. Pramling & Fleer (2009) suggests that there is no standard definition for play, it is more like an attitude of mind, play could be viewed in its broadest sense as describing almost all the activities that young children engage in. In this essay, I briefly describe the value of play and how play relates to children’s learning and

Education has dramatically changed over the years. Gone are the days of sand tables, dress up, and finger painting in kindergarten. Now, educators have started to transition from playful learning to more of a structural type of learning. These changes are due to the pressures of the No Child Left Behind Act and Common Core curriculum that has been enforced. Even though standardize testing doesn’t start until third grade, kindergarten teachers are held accountable if children aren’t prepared beforehand. Kindergarten has since turned to more structural work such as, workbooks and textbooks. While, this may seem to benefit math and reading skills, children aren’t learning the basic skills of development. A report by Jill Bowden, a postdoctoral fellow at the university of Pennsylvania, explains how developmental psychologist have shown that, for young children, play is learning and helps children to learn how interact with others.(33) Playful learning allows children to develop in areas such as imagination, language

There are numerous theories of play and countless theorists, from Freud and Spencer to Piaget and Vygotsky, who have studied play in relation to what it is and what it does for the child. This essay will outline the definition and value of play and the importance of how it can foster the child’s learning in regards to these theorists who studied the effects in great detail. It will discuss the how the environments constructed by educators can impact play and the theories of learning relating to the quote “play and learning are inextricably woven together ...” Ebbeck and Waniganayake, 2010, p. 5).

Beginning with functional play, this is important to have a setting dedicated to this form of play. According to researchers, Smilansky stated that functional play is using repetition in physical actions, language, and manipulation of objects, based on the need for physical activity. Functional play develops motor responses as well as both gross and fine motor skills. In the areas of learning through the manipulation of play, there should be “games” such as beanbag toss. In this the child can manipulate the beanbag, using their gross motor skills in which improving them. Stacking blocks is another way to achieve the outcome of

The occupation of play in children across cultures is seen as beneficial in physical, social, mental, and cognitive development, but the level of importance and the construction of play differs through cultural traditions. Play conditions, styles, themes, and materials are diverse around the world. Children acquire cultural patterns and meanings through play by observing the roles of adults within their society. The occupation of play portrays and reflects the children own social values and family ethnic practices. It also provides a social context for cultural learning. Prior research is focused on cultural traditions, along with socioeconomic factors that influence how the occupation of play is viewed and practiced. This research is more

Play is the foundation stone of children’s healthy and productive lives (Oliver & Klugman, 2002) and is also a significant means of child’s learning and development (Zigler, Singer & Bishop-

We know that young children develop social skills through play, and that they develop critical thinking skills and language is enriched and vocabulary increased. Play, especially make-believe play, aids in the child's development of the execution function, which is a key role in the child's ability to self-regulate. The curriculum "Tools of the Mind" approaches learning as socially mediated by peers and focused on play.

“For young children, there is no distinction between play and learning; they are one and the same. Playing is a priority in early childhood, yet not all play is the same” (Butler, 2008, p. 1). Since the beginning of mankind children have imitated adults and learned to survive through play. Evidence of this includes toys and board games from 6,000 years ago that have been found in Egypt and Asia (Dollinger, 2000). In the last two centuries, child’s play has been observed and studied by theorists and recognized as an important tool for adult life. Three theorists that studied children and spent their lives researching how children develop were Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. These theorists agreed that from the time a child is