Play Contains Rich Emotional Values
Expression of Feelings
The emotional value of play has been better accepted and understood than the intellectual or social value because therapists have long employed play as a medium for the expression and relief of feelings (Elkind, 2007; Koralek, 2004; O’Connor, 2000). Children may be observed almost anyplace in the early childhood center expressing their feelings about doctors by administering shots with relish or their jealousy of a new baby by walloping a doll, but play is not necessarily limited to the expression of negative feelings. The same doll that only a moment previously was being punished may next be crooned to sleep in the rocking chair.
One of the strongest benefits and satisfactions stemming from play is the way it enhances social development.
Relieves Pressure
Omwake cites an additional emotional value of play (Moffitt & Omwake, n.d.). She points out that play offers “relief from the pressure to behave in unchildlike ways.” In our society so much is expected of children, and the emphasis on arranged learning can be so intense that play becomes indispensable as a balance to pressures to conform to adult standards.
Mastery
Finally, play offers children an opportunity to achieve mastery of their environment. In this way, play supports the child’s psychosocial development, as discussed in Chapter 1, promoting the development of autonomy, initiative, and industry. When children play, they are in command. They establish the conditions of the experience by using their imagination, and they exercise their powers of choice and decision as the play progresses.