LEARNING THROUGH
PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
DR. LUCY POU
CONSULTANT
L.A.M.P. LEARNING PTE. LTD.
YOU CAN DISCOVER MORE
ABOUT A PERSON IN AN
HOUR OF PLAY THAN IN A
YEAR OF CONVERSATION.
Plato
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
• Play is not a luxury but a necessity.
• Play during childhood that is initiated by children themselves
nurtures their overall development.
• Early childhood programmes include play as part of their
daily curriculum.
• If humans are to reach their full potential, play during early
childhood is necessary.
• Childhood play is a required experience in order to become a
civilised, fully-realised human being (Hirsh-Pasek 2006).
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Play is an essential
activity of early
childhood which
contributes to the
cognitive, social,
and emotional
development of
children.
W H AT I S P L AY ?
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
W H A T I S P L AY ?
Any activity freely chosen, intrinsically motivated, and personally directed
Outside ‗ordinary‘ life; is non-serious but at the same time absorbing the player intensely.
It is not a specific behaviour, but any activity undertaken with a playful frame of mind.
―All art, games, books, sports, movies, fashion, fun and wonder is based on play‖
Dr. Stuart Brown
Psychiatrist
The opposite of play is not work, but depression
Brain Sutton-Smith
(Play theorist)
PLAY IN CHILDREN‘S DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
JEFFREY GOLDSTEIN
FEBRUARY 2012
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
BENEFFITS OF PLAY
Play is the lens through which children experience their world and the world of others
• Results in positive emotions; improves the quality of life – people feel good while playing
• Increases brain development and growth by establishing new neural connections,
• Strengthens aerobic conditioning and fine-tuning motor skills,
• Increases attention span
• Improves the ability to perceive others‘ emotional state
• Develops flexibility, i.e., to adapt to ever-changing circumstances
• Improves the efficiency of thinking and problem solving.
• Two hours of active play per day may help reduce attention deficits and hyperactivity.
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
WHY PLAY?
Play develops creativity and imagination and thus, a child‘s potential. It promotes joy, essential
for self-esteem and health.
•
•
•
•
•
•
SOCIAL BENEFITS OF PLAY
Increases empathy, compassion, and sharing
Improves nonverbal skills
Increases attention and attachment
PHYSICAL BENEFITS
Positive emotions increase the efficiency of
immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular
systems
Decreases stress, fatigue, injury, and
depression
Increases range of motion, agility,
coordination, balance, flexibility, and fine
and gross motor exploration
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
W H Y P L AY ?
EMOTIONALBEHAVIOURAL BENEFITS
• Reduces stress, anxiety, fear
• Improves emotional
flexibility and openness
• Develop resilience and the
ability to deal with surprise
and change
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Play promotes mental health
Play functions as the major means by which children
1. develop intrinsic interests and competencies;
2. learn how to make decisions, solve problems, exert self-control,
and follow rules;
3. Learn to regulate their emotions;
4. Make friends and learn to get along with others as equals;
5. and experience joy.
American Journal of Play, volume 3, number 4. © 2011
Peter Gray
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
• Television and, more recently,
WHY CHILDREN PLAY LESS?
• Computer games and
• Internet activities
• Children‘s outdoor play are restricted because of safety concerns, including
fear of crime
• Increased time and weight given to schooling and to other adult-directed,
school-like activities.
• Lengths of the school year and school day have increased;
• Academically oriented programmes
• Recess time has shrunk
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
DESCRIBING PLAY
Social play
Parallel play
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
D E S C R I B I N G P L AY
Mastery play
Solitary play
Exploratory play
Imitative play
WHAT TO PLAY?
ALL CHILDREN
NEED TO SPEND
SOME TIME
PLAYING
OUTDOORS
YOU DON‘T STOP PLAYING BECAUSE YOU GROW OLD, YOU GROW
OLD BECAUSE YOU STOP PLAYING.
George Bernard Shaw
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Two most powerful factors
related to cognitive
development during infancy
and the preschool years are
• the availability of play
materials and
• the quality of the
parents‘ involvement
with the child.
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
P L AY M A T E R I A L S
• Toys are designed for the purpose of play; they invite
play and can prolong play
• Children will play longer when suitable play objects
are available, and stand to gain the greatest benefits
that play has to offer.
‗Playful learning‘ refers to the use of free play and adult-guided play
activities to promote academic and social skills (Fisher 2011).
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
COMMON EARLY PLAY MATERIALS
Real life
• Dolls, action
figures, stuffed
animals
Sounds (and sights)
• Musical toys or
instruments
• Singing
• Housekeeping
and gardening
Gross and fine
motor
Visual-spatial
organisation
Play-doh, pegs, balls, tricycles,
scooter, craft kits
• Sandboxes
• Building blocks
• Water play
• Lego, Duplo
• Tangrams
• Dress-up clothes
Encourage children to play freely with different unstructured materials and tools
and play in different areas and situations
WHAT ABOUT DIGITAL PLAY?
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
WHAT ABOUT SMART T OYS?
SMART TOYS
• are designed to teach a skill,
• make learning fun,
• engage the child in doing rather than passively watching something
There is still not enough research on whether smart
toys increase children‘s cognitive or social skills,
although some toys are designed with these goals in
mind.
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
WHAT ABOUT SMART T OYS?
Children learn to use new technologies largely through trial and error —
through exploration, experimentation, and play — and in collaboration
with others, both face to face and online.
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
W H A T A B O U T S M A R T T OY S ?
The mediator of learning can maximise digital opportunities while
protecting children from the risks.
• How is the toy used?
• How does it promote
̶
Language use?
̶
Social interaction?
̶
Self regulation: following rules, exerting self control, decision making
̶
Level of pretend play or imagination?
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT PLAY?
• Previously the American Academy of
Parents should instead encourage more
interactive activities such as playing and talking
Pediatrics, advised that children under 2
in order to improve their listening and social
should not be watching any TV, videos, or
skills, but if they have to use a screen they
DVDs.
should treat it more as a picture book and
• At the end of 2016 no screens
interact with the screen alongside their child.
recommendation include only babies under
the age of 18 months.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics still
recommends no screen time for children
between the ages of 15 months and two
years by themselves.
Young children and screen time (TV,
computers, etc.)
Padma Ravichandran, Brandel France
de Bravo,
and Rebecca Beauport
National Center for Health Research
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
What do we do to ensure that children get the play they need and deserve?
The three essential qualities become three questions the mediator asks:
1st Q
WHAT is the mediator‘s goal or intention when working
with the child? (reflects intentionality and reciprocity)
3Qs
2nd Q
WHERE can the child apply what is learnt, grasped or
experienced? (reflects transcendence)
3rd Q
WHY does the child need to learn, grasp or experience this?
(reflects meaning)
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
1st Q
WHAT does your child need at the point that you are asking
this question?
3Qs
2nd Q
WHERE can such as skills or benefits be transferred or
translated to?
3rd Q
WHY do you think the child need to learn, grasp or
experience such effects through play?
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN THE DIGITAL AGE
References
• Verenikina, I. M. & Herrington, J. A. (2006). Computer play, young children and the
development of higher order thinking: exploring the possibilities. In H. M. Hasan, G.
Whymark & J. Findlay (Eds.), Transformational Tools for 21st Century Minds (pp. 22-27).
Eveleigh, NSW: Knowledge Creation Press.
• Gray, P. (2011) The Decline of Play and the Rise of Psychopathology in Children and
Adolescents American Journal of Play, volume 3, number 4.
• Ravichandran, R., de Bravo, B.F. & Beauport, R. Young children and screen time (TV,
computers, etc.) National Center for Health Research. http://center4research.org/child-teen-
health/early-childhood-development/young-children-and-screen-time-television-dvdscomputer/
• Goldstein, J. (2012) Play in children‘s development, health and well-being
MEDIATING LEARNING THROUGH PLAY IN
THE DIGITAL AGE
Thank you