THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

PHYSICAL: PLAYING TAG, SWINGING, ETC.

Helps develop muscles

Develop large motor skills

Burn up energy

Improve coordination

INTELLECTUAL: CAN TEACH ABOUT THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Shapes, sizes, numbers

Math

Reading: letters, words, numbers

Pretend play encourages creativity

EMOTIONAL: INITIATE A GAME, MAKE SOMETHING

TOGETHER

Develop self esteem

Nurture children

SOCIAL: CAN MAKE AND MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS

Playing board games may help social skills

Taking turns

Sharing

Cooperating and communicating

MORAL: LEARN HOW THEIR ACTIONS AFFECT

OTHER PEOPLE

Make believe lets kids test values

Understand consequences of their actions

TYPES OF PLAY

Active play: activities that are primarily physical and use large motor skills

Example: jungle gym, tricycle, chase

COOPERATIVE PLAY

Plays with another person

Usually 2 at a time

GROUP PLAY

Plays with 3 or more people

PARALLEL PLAY

Plays beside but not with other child

18 months to 3 years old

Watches/ignores others

May grab toys away

TYPES OF PLAY

Quiet play: activities that engage the mind and small motor skills and do not call for much movement

Examples: reading a book, playing with clay, playing with dolls or action figures

TYPES OF PLAY

Passive Play: is passive or non-interactive, meaning there is no interaction with anyone or anything. Sometimes a child needs passive play when they

are tired, angry, watching TV, privacy.

Children should be limited in the amount of passive play they are allowed to have.

Parents should try to interact with child to encourage them to be more involved in another activity.

SOLITARY PLAY

Plays alone

Child is too self-centered and egotistical

TYPES OF PLAY

Dramatic or Make Believe Play Allows child to be imaginative and creative

Allows child to express themselves emotionally

Allows children to work together, cooperation, problem solving

Important to child’s development because it helps them learn what’s appropriate in social interactions, and what behaviors are appropriate

TYPES OF PLAY

Skill Mastery Play- is a type of play that occurs when a child is learning a new skill.

Child will repeat skill over and over, and will engage in this type of play for hours

Riding a bike, skating, rolling down a hill, etc.

Several developmental processes take place with skill mastery:

First, the child is mastering or perfecting a skill.

Secondly, as the child is in the process of mastering the skill, he/she recognizes his/her progress and feels a sense of accomplishment. This builds self-esteem.

TYPES OF PLAY

Sensory Motor Play- uses the sense and motor skills

Through sensory play children learn important concepts about math and science

Child playing with textural matter, pouring it, mixing it, feeling it

Play Dough, clay, sand, rice, corn meal, beans, etc.

TYPES OF PLAY

Rough and tumble play: physical play, often looks like wrestling or fighting.

You know they are not fighting because their faces are happy and their voices are pleasant.

Rough-and-tumble play allows for a great release of energy as well as physical and social development.

MAKING THE MOST OUT OF PLAY:

If children are doing something that is unsafe, distract them—get them interested in something else

Facilitate play: help bring about play without controlling what the child does

Handle competition: emphasize the fun of the game, not who wins or loses

Reading books: choose stories that are appropriate for a child’s age. Let kids look at pictures.