education

Theories That Focus on Psychological Development The concept of play as an avenue for expressing feelings and desires, and venting frustrations and disappointments, comes from psychoanalytic theorists such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, and Anna Freud. According to Sigmund Freud, play and dreams are forms of wish fulfillment, providing altered psychological states in which unacceptable […]

Physical Benefits Provided by Play Neuroscientists have suggested that active play is necessary for healthy brain growth. According to Trawick-Smith (2010), active playful encounters with caregivers are particularly important for infants and toddlers with special needs. Physical play not only strengthens muscles but also stimulates brain activity, which leads to higher levels of interest and

Rough-and-Tumble Play Rough-and-tumble play generally refers to motor play that may have the appearance of aggression to outside observers while the children are aware they are engaged playfully. Most forms of active motor play require close and nearly constant supervision, and this is particularly true for rough-andtumble play (Carlson, 2011a; Carlson, 2011b). Stuart Brown, founder

Motor Play Motor play provides children with experience in using and gaining control over their bodies (Carlson, 2011a) and a means of expending energy stored up from long periods of inactivity. During early childhood, children typically engage in two types of motor play— structured and unstructured. Structured motor play is generally more teacher-directed with group

Play With Objects According to Piaget (1967), play with objects helps young children extend their physical knowledge of the world. He observed that, from infancy, children actively engage with objects out of innate curiosity and with minimal adult guidance. Their learning results primarily through direct experience, trial-and-error, and practice. As children gain further understanding of

Theories That Focus on Physical Development Physical play primarily involves the senses and motor skills and is for the sake of activity and movement (Trawick-Smith, 2010). One subcategory is object play, involving sensory observations and manipulation of objects using fine motor skills. A second subcategory is motor play, which involves use of the large muscles

Theories Related to the Stages of Play Piaget’s Stages of Play Although Piaget is most well-known for his theory about the stages of cognitive development, which were discussed in Chapter 3, he also investigated the development of children’s play behaviors. Piaget stated, “Practically every form of psychological activity is initially enacted in play” (1967, p.

Contemporary Theories About Play oth classical and modern theories of play tend to view it as a naturally occurring behavior, but modern explanations are more pragmatic (Elkind, 2007). Many contemporary theorists suggest that play provides children with multiple opportunities for growth and development across all domains. Play affects the whole child by providing avenues through

Describing play has been a pastime for many great thinkers over the centuries. Although today none of the classical theories of play is regarded as sufficient to define what play is and can do, they all have offered some basis for more modern ideas. German playwright and philosopher, Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1805) speculated that play

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