Child Development Chapter 5

- defines play as the natural unfolding of the germinal leaves of childhoo- he characterizes it is an essential and necessary component of childhood - play is part of the fabric of children’s lives and leads to healthy growth and development

§ Play consists of activities not consciously performed for the sake of any result beyond themselves. § Children play because the process is meaningful to them.

§ Defined play by contrasting it with work § he must feel entertained and free of any fear or hope of serious consequences § he is on vacation from social and economic reality (he does not work)

§ play serves several centrally important functions § it is a means of minimizing the consequences of one’s actions and of learning, therefore in a less risky situation § play provides an excellent opportunity to try combinations of behavior that would under functional pressure never be tried § take risks without fear of failure § when fear of failure is low, children can explore and experiment in their play, the possibilities for creative outcomes are greatly enhanced. § No right or wrong

· play is viewed as interaction with no rules but Vygotsky feel s that there are social rules that the children follow · creates a zone of proximal development for the child

§ identifies the importance of play in dealing with stress. § play is a nature’s way of dealing with stress for children and adults

Psychoanalytic Theory Based primarily on his work, play is seen as being motivated by the pleasure principle. Pleasure is achieved, according to Freud, through wish fulfillment in play.

§ Associative Play· Beginning at about 3 ½ years of age, children start to engage in true social play. They borrow and loan play materials and the group members are engaged in similar activities o The associations are more important than the play itself.

Cognitive Structures Theory - suggests that one of the two major ways that children learn about the world is by taking in information from the environment and fitting it into already existing concepts, a process he calls assimilation. When children play they are engaging primarily in the process of assimilation. - - also proposes that the play children engage in is strongly influenced by their intellectual stage of development.