Classical Theories About Play
ecause child play is a universal phenomenon across all cultures of the world, past and present, many individuals have theorized about the nature of play (Carlson,
B
2011a). See, for example, what some notable figures throughout time, such as Froebel, Dewey, Einstein, and Vygotsky, have said about play in Table 5.2.
Table 5.2: Quotations about play
| 427–347 BC | Plato
Greek Philosopher |
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. |
| 1782–1852 | Friedrich Froebel
German Educator |
The most natural child activity is play. |
| 1859–1952 | John Dewey
American Educator |
Play is a form of thought for children, which then becomes internalized. |
| 1879–1955 | Albert Einstein
American Physicist |
Play is the highest form of research. |
| 1896–1934 | Lev Vygotsky
Russian Psychologist |
In play, a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behavior. In play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself. |
| 1903–1990 | Bruno Bettelheim
American Child Psychologist |
It [play] is also his [the child’s] most significant tool for preparing himself for the future and its tasks. |
| 1924– | Brian Sutton-Smith
American Play Theorist |
The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression. |
| 1931– | David Elkind
American Psychologist |
Play is not only our creative drive; it’s a fundamental mode of learning. |
| 1944– | Joan Almon
American Educator |
Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child. |
| 2003– | Amelia
American Third Grader |
Play is fun, fun, fun for me! |