Childs Play Play is a childs work Maria

Child’s Play “Play is a child’s work. ” Maria Montessori Because play is so important to the optimal development of children, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has recognized engaging in play as a right to every child. Created by: D. Evans

Play offers Opportunities • Children learn what is soft and hard, cold and warm, scratchy or smooth, as they touch and manipulate everything within reach. • Children learn what is heavy and light, as they lift and fling things about their world. • Children learn what is sour and sweet, as they mouth, suck and drool their way through everyday life.

Play Creates Meaning • Children learn what works and doesn’t work, as they pull and push, fit, stack and destroy. • Children learn how to connect events, feelings, thoughts and learning together, symbolizing their experience.

Types of Non-Social Play • Solitary Play – Where children play without regard for what others children around them are doing. – Child does not tend to approach others – Solitary play helps the child to be a thinker as he or she concentrates on the task at hand.

Non-Social Play cont’d • Onlooker Play – When children observe others at play. – Mostly occurs among 2 to 3 year olds. – Onlooker play helps a child to become social.

Levels of Social Play • Parallel Play – Children play alongside others but not with them. – Children may play with similar toys but use toys in their own ways.

Levels of Social Play, cont’d • Associative Play – Where children interact and share toys but do not have a shared goal or engage in joint efforts – May talk about what they are doing, share toys, and ask questions. – Enhances communication skills.

Levels of Social Play, cont’d • Cooperative Play – Where children play and interact with a shared goal in mind. – Follow instructions of other children – Observe division of labor with other children – Develops sociability in children

Passive Play • The child is not actively engaged in the act of play but rather being passively entertained by or minimally interacting with an electronic device. – Examples: • Television • Videos • Video & computer games

Active Play • The child interacts with objects, movement, and/or others – Examples: • • Building blocks Game of tag Coloring Hopscotch

Sensory Motor Play • The child is engaged in play with objects of a textural medium • Learning through the senses – Example: • • • sand play finger paints Play dough Water play Cooking

Exploratory Play • Children are able to actively explore materials and environments • Enhances learning through experimentation – Examples: • • Mixing paint to find primary and secondary colors Relationships between shapes Spatial relations Numbers and patterns

Dramatic Play • Child uses objects, actions, and language to create imaginary roles and situations • Connection between real and pretend • Provides an emotional outlet – Examples: » » Playing house or acting out situations Puppets Pretending to be an animal Re-enacting a story

Skill Mastery • Develop sense of accomplishment and independence • Do something over and over until they have mastered it, feel good about their newly acquired skill – Examples: • Riding a bike • Skating

Manipulative or Constructive Play • Child uses objects or materials to create a representation of something • Symbolic thinking and elements of pretend • Hands on experiences – Examples: • Building a fort with blocks • Building a sand castle • Paper folding • Provides a good outlet for emotional energy

Benefits of Play • Intellectual Development – Child’s thinking is becoming more orderly, more structures and more logical – Play becomes more realistic and more rule oriented • Social/Emotional Development – Peer group provides support – Sense of belonging – Self-concept development – Develops sense of pride in talents, Skills and abilities