PLAY

                                                   PLAY

1.      DEFINATION:

·         Essentially non-literal, opportunistic and episodic, engaging, imaginative/creative, fluid and active, predominantly for the moment, and therefore concerned more with means than ends, and joyful. It focuses on a playful or “as if” attitude and must be intrinsically motivated.

·         Play is generally defined as a pleasurable, self-initiated activity that the child can control

·         These differences arise from the fact that:

Ø  Play is a transaction or activity engaged in freely by individuals

Ø  Play is determined by the players such that they are in control, and become absorbed in the activity

Ø  Play allows the suspension of real life consequences

Ø  Play is a style (playfulness) used when problems or situations are approached flexibly

2.      VALUE OF PLAY:

·         Play is common knowledge that learning through play contributes to cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language development

·         Children are active learners who construct their knowledge and understanding of the world through play experiences

·         Competence developed through play enables children to feel confident about what they can and can’t do, and confident to avail themselves of similar future opportunities and activities

·         Children learn about occupational roles and behaviours, and how to interact safely and appropriately within their environment

·         These scenarios allow them to explore role related behaviours, helping them to make sense of their world.

·         They learn to problem solve, share and negotiate, and take turns.

·         They develop their abilities to read and to give socially appropriate cues in order to join others in play, and gain an understanding of norms and expectations to guide socially appropriate behaviours

·         Play influences the development of social competence and relationships with adults and peers

·         Play also provides a major means for emotional regulation enabling experimentation with actions and their emotional consequences.

3.      PLAY DEVELOPMENT

                        0-3 months

1.      Play Behaviors

·         Engages in exploratory and sensorimotor play

2.      Skills

·         Explores by listening, looking, reaching for, touching, holding, and shaking objects such as rattles

·         Visually tracks objects and interested in human faces  

·         Enjoy supported sitting in an infant swing or infant seat/activity center

·         Plays on the floor usually supine, or in a caregiver’s lap

·         May become irritable with too much stimulation

·         Alert, attentive play periods are relatively short (10–15 minute at a time)

·         Eye contact, visual following during play assists in developing attachment behaviors

·         Smiles at 3 months

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Plays with rattles

·         Enjoys looking at bright moving objects

·         Making sounds

·         Watching human faces

·         Infant swings

·         Overhead activity centers that attach to an infant seat

·         Crib mobiles

                      4-8 months

1.      Play Behaviors

·         Primarily engages in exploratory and sensorimotor play

2.      Skills

·         Able to reach, grasp, hold, shake, and bang objects

·         Pushes buttons and transfer objects from one hand to the other

·         Puts objects in a bucket and dumps bucket; on floor moves limbs and brings feet to hands when supine

·         Pivots and plays in a sitting position

·         Scoots on tummy

·         Throws objects

·         Release of objects is poorly controlled

·         Mouths objects

·         Uses simple cause-effect toys, activity mats, shape sorters, overhead play gyms (child is supine and reaches over head for hanging toys)

·         Begins simple social play like peek-a-boo

·         May coo, squeal, laugh, and communicate through cries and facial expressions

·         Notices other children

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Preferred play activities often include rolling a ball, push-button toys that light up, make noise or music, bouncing in a jumper

·         Activity play centers/infant gyms

·         Playing peek-a-boo

                      9-12 months

1.       Play Behaviors

·         Continues with exploratory and sensorimotor play

2.      Skills

·         Begins to use toys according to their purpose (e.g., hammers with toy hammer, feeds baby doll a bottle; pushes train along a track)

·         More hand manipulation of objects

·         Points, rolls ball, releases toys into container, stacks a few blocks, throws, and mouths objects

·         Crawls or walks to explore the environment

·         May show separation anxiety, may interact briefly with other infants by touching, observing, and simple imitation

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Preferred play activities often include cause-effect toys like push-button noisy toys, activity centers, and pop-up toys

·         Enjoy gross motor toys like push riding toys, jumpers; likes to climb

·         Fine motor play may include shape sorters, large soft blocks, large insert puzzles

·         Pretend play may begin with play with dolls, trucks, cars, trains, pretend food

·         Enjoys simple social play like peek-a-boo

                        1-2 years

1.       Play Behaviors

·         Exploratory and sensorimotor play

2.      Skills

·         Often engages in gross motor play such as chasing games, climbing, using push riding toys and pull toys; often runs, jumps, and climbs without regard to safety factors

·         Fine motor play may include sorting objects, inserting large puzzle pieces, stacking, and pulling apart objects

·         Social play begins to emerge

·         Interested in watching others play with limited pretend and social play

·         May be possessive of toys with tendencies for parallel play

3.       Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Likes all kinds of toys, including dolls and action figures, play animals, pretend food, cars, trucks, and trains, simple construction toys

·         Likes looking at picture books with adults and pointing at  pictures, playing on toddler playground equipment (swings, slides), playing with balls, riding toys

                     2-3 years

1.       Play Behaviors

·         Children engage more in symbolic and pretend play

·         Begin to shift from parallel play to more interactive forms of play

2.      Skills

·         Talks to self during play and begins to use language when playing with others

·         Shows a variety of emotions during play and likes to role-play adult roles

·         May enjoy action figures, dolls, and other pretend people; may continue to be possessive of toys; likes to imitate

·         Gross motor play includes using playground equipment with some assistance, riding a tricycle, jumping with both feet clearing the ground together, simple ball play (e.g., kicking and tossing a medium-sized ball), and running around, climbing, and dancing; fine motor play includes painting and scribbling

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Construction toys and insert puzzles and more complex cause-effect toys that introduce preschool concepts such as colors, shapes, letters, and numbers

·         Continues to be interested in picture books; enjoys sensory play like play dough, water, and sand play

                    3-5 years

1.      Play Behaviors

·         Engages in creative and group play, and associative play dominates by 4 years as children learn to share and take turns 

·         Interested in being with friends

2.      Skills         

·         Enjoys role-playing and dressing up, and creating elaborate pretend play situations; may begin to play simple board games, such as checkers or Candyland.

·         With respect to gross motor play,

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Children become proficient on playground equipment, including pumping a playground swing

·         May ride a bike with training wheels

·         Participate in more structured recreational or sports activities, such as swimming, roller blading,  basketball/ ball play, dancing, and skiing

·         Fine motor play skills include painting and coloring, simple drawings, copying basic shapes and some letters, scissor use and simple craft activities, construction toys, and computer play

·         Begins to develop an interest in the finished product of construction play; may become more interested in television and may begin to play video or computer games

                     5-7 years

1.      Play Behaviors

·         Able to play games with rules, such as board games

·         Becomes more involved in organized sports and recreation in the community

·         Learns specific skills such as swimming, skating, and bike riding or playing a musical instrument

2.       Skills     

·         preferences for certain play activities are developed

·         Plays well with others and enjoys social interaction with an understanding of the concepts of cooperation and competition

·         The importance of friendships increases

·         Independence during play increases with the extension into neighborhoods and the homes of peers

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Sedentary play activities such as watching television, reading, and playing computer games or videogames may increase

·         Children enjoy playground equipment, ball play, pretend play, crafts, puzzles, and construction toys like Legos

                7-11 years

1.       Play Behaviors

·         Further development of leisure/play interests

2.      Skills        

·         Peer relations and social competencies are important, and time spent with friends increases dramatically

·         A child’s self-identity and self-perceptions are largely influenced by participation with certain peers and by their play interests

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Typical activities include participation in organized and recreational sports activities, listening to or playing music, craft activities, playing computer games or video games, watching television and movies, and reading

                12-18 years

1.      Play Behaviors

·         Further development of leisure/play interests

2.       Skills          

·         Adolescents most often make their own decisions regarding their use of leisure time, and most prefer to spend it with peers, often just hanging out and talking on the phone

·         Peer acceptance and peer group norms and values are influential in how adolescents spend their leisure/play time

3.      Common Favorite Toys/Activities

·         Typical activities typical activities include organized and recreational sports, music, crafts and hobbies, computer use and videogames, television, and movies

4.      CLASSIFICATION OF PLAY

4.1.

·         Author: Piaget

·         Year:1945

·         Dimension: Cognition

·         Stages: Yes

·         Type:

Ø  practice play

Ø  symbolic play

Ø  play with rules

4.2.

·         Author: Takata  

·         Year:1974

·         Dimension: Cognition

·         Stages: Yes

·         Type:

Ø  Sensorimotor play

Ø  Symbolic and simple constructive play

Ø  Dramatic and complex constructive play

Ø  Game with rules

Ø  Recreational with competitive play

4.3. 

·         Author: Rubin et al

·         Year:1976,1983

·         Dimension: Cognitive

·         Stages: Yes

·         Type:

Ø  Sensory motor play

Ø  Simulation

Ø  Simulation with objects

Ø  Simulation with substitution

Ø  Sociodramatic

Ø  Role playing

Ø  Game with

4.4. 

·         Author: Garvey  

·         Year: 1990

·         Dimension: Behavioural

·         Stages: No

·         Type:

Ø  Play with motion and interaction

Ø  Play with objects

Ø  Play with language

Ø  Play with social materials

4.5.

·         Author: Santrock  

·         Year:2006

·         Dimension: Cognitive and social

·         Stage: Yes

·         Type:

Ø  Sensorimotor play

Ø  Pretend/ symbolic play

Ø  Social play

Ø  Constructive play

4.6.

·         Author: Stagnitti & unsworth  

·         Year: 2000,2009

·         Dimension: Cognitive

·         Stages: Yes

·         Type:

Ø  Symbolic play

Ø  Sociodramatic play

Ø  Role play

Ø  Fantastic play 

4.7.

·         Author: Garon et al

·         Year: 1982,2002

·         Dimension: Cognitive

·         Stages: Yes

·         Type: 

Ø  Exercise play

Ø  Symbolic play

Ø  Assembly

Ø  Game with rules

4.8.

·         Author: US national institute of play

·         Year: NA

·         Dimension: Cognitive and social

·         Stages: Yes

·         Type:

Ø  Attunement play

Ø  Body play

Ø  Object play

Ø  Social play

Ø  Imaginative play and pretend play

Ø  Story telling play

Ø  Creative play

4.9.

·         Author: Parten & mildred

·         Year: 1932

·         Dimension: Social

·         Stages: Yes

·         Type:

Ø  Solitary play

Ø  Parallel play

Ø  Associative play

Ø  Cooperative play

4.10.      

·         Author: ICF-CY

·         Year:2007

·         Dimension: social

·         Stages: NA

·         Type:

Ø  Solitary play

Ø  Onlooker play

Ø  Parallel play

Ø  Shared cooperative play

4.11.      

·         Author: Smith  

·         Year:2002

·         Dimension: Cognitive

·         Stages : Yes

·         Type:

Ø  Early explorative /practice play

Ø  Construction play

Ø  Pretend and role play

Ø  Game and activity play

Ø  Sport and recreational play

Ø  Media play

Ø  Educational and academic play

4.12.      

·         Author: Kudrowitz &Wallace  

·         Year: 2009

·         Dimension: Toys

·         Stages: NA

·         Type:

Ø  Construction

Ø  Fantasy

Ø  Sensory

Ø  Challenge

4.13.      

·         Author: Goodson & Bronson

·         Year: 1997

·         Dimension: Toys

·         Stages: NA

·         Type:

Ø  Active play

Ø  Manipulative play

Ø  Make –believe play

Ø  Creative play

Ø  Learning play

5.      ASSESSMENT OF PLAY

·         The assessment of play is most often performed by observation in a familiar play environment.

·         Observation is considered to be an ecologically valid approach for collecting information about a child’s natural behaviours.

·         Play is what children like to do and they expend considerable social, cognitive and motor resources while playing, therefore play assessment may provide very meaningful insights about a child’s interests, functional abilities and behaviours

·         Assessment standardized, non -standardized ds tools

Ø  Knox preschool play scale: Any child; 0–6 years .To describe child’s play skills across four dimensions (space management, material management, pretence/symbolic and participation) from a developmental perspective.

Ø  Assessment of ludic behaviours: Preschool children with physical disability with or without cognitive disability. To examine characteristics of a child’s ludic attitude, play interests, skills and difficulties

Ø  Play history: Infancy through adolescence; any diagnosis.To explore child’s play experiences and opportunities.

Ø  Test of playfulness: All children, infancy through 15 years. To examine four elements of playfulness: motivation, control, suspension of reality and framing play.

Ø  Trans-disciplinary play-based assessment: All children, infancy through 15 years. To utilize play observations for the purposes of assessing underlying developmental skills, learning style, interaction patterns and other behaviours