Pioneers/Theories of
play
Learning outcomes
By the end of this session we will have;
 Analysed theories and pioneers of play
 Made links to theorists regarding why children play
Frederich Froebel (1782-1852)
 Saw the child as an individual and as part of the family
 and community
 Learning is an holistic process
 Childhood as a stage in its own right
 Development and transformation through play, first hand
experiences, self chosen activities and intrinsic motivation
 The role of the adult was to begin where the learner is and to intervene
sensitively
 Emphasised the importance of outdoor play
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925)
 Focussed on holistic development and creativity
expressed through play
 Learning occurred through social interaction, drama,
imagination, play, music, poetry and movement
 Emphasised the facilitative, heuristic role of the
teacher.
John Dewey (1859-1952)
 Identified the link between mental activity and action
 Children act as co-constructors of their learning
 Active agents and active participants in shaping their
learning environments and experiences
Maria Montessori (1869-1952)
 Model of child development was based on the accumulation of
skills in a simple to complex approach based on the use of didactic
materials
 She believed in a planned environment and devised a sequence of
activities through which children progressed
 Regarded fantasy play as trivial and patronising to the
child
 Provided child sized environment in which children
could learn and practice real life skills without the
presence or intervention of an adult
Margaret McMillan (1860-1931)
 Established an enduring relationship between care,
health and education
 Sensory learning
 Language and interaction
 Discovery methods of learning in a structured
environment
Susan Isaacs (1885-1948)
 Child as an active learner
 Valued spontaneous, imaginative and manipulative play as a means
of satisfying frustrated desires and working out inner conflicts and
gaining understanding of the external world
 Play was central to the curriculum and provided children with
opportunities for problem solving and developing skills in reading,
writing and number.
 The role of teacher was to observe and identify the child’s needs and
interests and design the curriculum accordingly
Cognitive theories of play – Piaget
(1896-1980)
 Natural way for children to participate in active
learning
 Process of balancing equilibration – 2 aspects
accommodation and assimilation
 Play is mainly to do with assimilation. It is about
applying what has been learnt
Piaget and play………
Three kinds of play which develop in order:
 Sensory motor play (babies and toddlers)
 Pretend, imaginative play
 Games with rules, with objects and people
 He saw a linear development from play to games with
rules
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
 Emphasised the importance of imaginative and
social play
 Play is the way children free themselves from the
constraints of reality
 He agrees with Piaget that imaginative play leads
into games with rules
 However Piaget has wider view of play in that it
involves the senses and movement as well as
developing imagination and rule behaviour
 Vygotsky stresses the social side of play more
then Piaget
 They both see objects and people as important
in play
 Seen as a narrow view of play
(all from Bruce, 2004, chapter 8)