Characteristics of Play CHAPTER 5
N
umerous specialists
from the fields of education, psychology, soci-
ology, anthropology, and even zoology have written about the characteristics of play. Most concur that child play, in its purest form, is freely chosen, pleasurable, and intrinsically motivated (Isenberg & Quisenberry, 2002).
Because play is a voluntary act, children have the freedom to momentarily create and selfdirect their own flexible realities that are not bound by the realities of the physical world. As such, play is non-literal and often includes elements of make-believe or fantasy (Vygotsky, 1978).
Children of all ages use sticks in both solitary and group play, where they represent endless possibilities of objects during make-believe play.
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Whether or not play includes make-believe elements, it can be undertaken as a solitary or social activity. As a solitary activity, play allows children to experiment, imagine, and reflect within the moment (Saskatchewan Online Curriculum, 2010). When playing alone, children are able to indulge their own impulses and fantasies without fear of censure or disapproval from others.
As a social activity, groups of children engaged in play sustain a mutually agreeable scenario through communication, invention, and negotiation. Within the play scenario, a social dynamic evolves that allows participants to sustain their activity for a time, making adaptations along the way (Lester & Russell, 2010). Play disbands naturally as children lose interest or no longer find the activity pleasurable or satisfying. Table 5.1 provides a summary of the general characteristics of play.
Table 5.1: Characteristics of play
| Play is. . . | Play is not. . . |
| Freely chosen | Forced |
| Pleasurable or satisfying | Unpleasant |
| Intrinsically motivated | Extrinsically motivated |
| Process-oriented | Product-oriented |
| Self-directed | Directed by others |
| Non-literal | Literal |
| Dynamic and flexible | Static and inflexible |
| Open-ended | Closed-ended |
| Free from stress | Stressful |
| Interesting | Uninteresting |
Although there are many types of play, all play shares some of the same characteristics.
Differentiating Play From Other Child Activities
Professional organizations for educators, as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), have for some time made public position statements about the importance of play in the lives of children (Isenberg & Quisenberry, 2002). In response, high- quality programs for young children have instituted a healthy balance of child-directed and teacher-directed activities. However, differentiating between play and other activities can sometimes be tricky.
Consider, for example, the case of three-year-old Barney, who is sitting at a small round table pounding a mound of yellow modeling dough repeatedly with a small wooden mallet. Is Barney playing? Or is he practicing his fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination at the teacher’s request? Let’s observe Barney’s situation more thoroughly and see what we can determine based on some guidance from Bodrova and Leong (2003). Try asking yourself their following guiding questions.
Who is in control of the situation? Did the child make a choice to engage? First, Barney chose the Art Area over all others. Once there, he chose the modeling dough table over painting easels, puppet making, and drawing. Taking a closer look at Barney’s table, we see various modeling dough tools such as cookie cutters, carving sticks, cutting wheels, and at least three other types of wooden mallets. We also see other tubs of modeling dough. So, Barney definitely chose to pound yellow modeling dough with the small, flat mallet.
Why is the child engaged? Is the child playing for the sake of play or for external reward? Is Barney expecting a “sticker” or some other reward? No, Barney just really likes the “whackwhack” sound the mallet makes on the dough and he also likes to watch the fat mound of dough become flatter and flatter as a result of his efforts.
Is the child getting pleasure or satisfaction from participating? From the look on his face and his cheerful sound effects, you can see that he is getting a lot of satisfaction from his actions and accomplishment. In fact, as soon as the dough is really flat, he peels it off the table, wads it back into a lumpy mound of dough and repeats the process again.
Are restraints imposed by adults and the environment intruding on the situation? There is a time restraint. Self-selected center time lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. However, children can stay with the same activity or change activities as they choose. So far, Barney has been engaged in the same activity about eight minutes. Barney smiles at the teacher as she walks by and says, “I am making this dough flat, flat like Flat Stanley!” The teacher smiles back and says, “You certainly are,” and tells him he can bring the Flat Stanley book to afternoon story circle if he likes.