Play in Early Childhood
CREATED BY KATHRYN STEPHENSON, DECEMBER 2015
ADAPTED FROM UTAH EDUCATION NETWORK
What is “play”?
A
study conducted in 1981 defined play as, “a subset
of life…an arrangement in which one can practice
behavior without dreading its consequence”
 It’s
important part of a child’s life
 Provides
purpose & helps them grow
5 Basic Areas of Growth
1. Physical:
 Play
develops large & small muscles and increases speed,
strength, and coordination
2. Emotional:
 Children
learn how to handle their feelings & fears;
opportunities to express emotions that they have seen
others express
Areas of Growth
3. Intellectual:

Teaches children how things work; learn how to reason,
solve problems & practice new mental skills
4. Social:
 Teaches
types of social behaviors that are acceptable;
find ways to get long with other people; learn how to
share, cooperate & understand others
Areas of Growth
5. Moral:
 Children
learn to be honest & considerate as they play
Social Patterns of Children
1. Unoccupied Behavior:
 Child
is not involved in any particular ativity
 Observes
what seems interesting at the time
 When
nothing is interesting, will walk/look around, play
with fingers, hair
 Often
appears to be day dreaming
Social Patterns of Children
2. Onlooker Behavior:
 Involves
watching other children play
 May
talk to other children, but does not become actively
involved
 Onlooker
wants to be close enough to interact with the
 Common
in Toddlers
children
Social Patterns of Children
3. Solitary Play:
 When
 No
a child plays alone
interest in anyone else or what they are doing
 Toys
they play with are different than what other kids are
playing wih
 Totally
involved in personal activity
 Common
in Infants
Social Patterns of Children
4. Parallel Play:
 Involves
a child playing beside other children
 There
is no actual interaction, but toys are similar
 Child
is playing beside the other children rather than with
them
 Common
in 2 – 3 year olds
Social Patterns of Children
5. Associative Play:
 Child
plays with other children
 Shares
toys & interacts with others
 Involved
 Child
in similar but not identical activity
does what they want, but is a part of a big group
 Common
in 3 years – School Age Children
Social Patterns of Children
6. Cooperative Play:
 Involves
organization
 Child
is part of a group that has a specific purpose, such
as making an art project or playing a game
 There
are usually leaders & followers in this type of play
Types of Play
 Make-Believe
 Play
house, doctor, bank, etc.
 Teaches
 Child
 Act
Play:
about real-life situations & problem-solving
can express themselves in a different role
out things they experienced – happy moments, sad,
fears/anxieties
Types of Play
 Active
Play:
 Playing
& interacting with others and/or objects
 Need
to be involved in active play because they learn
through active play
 Active
play is not just running & jumping, but also by
reading a book, puzzles, looking at clouds, and much more
Types of Play
 Passive
 Child
Play:
does not interact with anyone or anything
 Examples:
when they are tired, angry, watching TV, or need
a few minutes alone
 When
passive play is the majority, caregiver needs to
involve the child in active play
 Children
have
must be limited to the amount of passive play they
Types of Play
 Skill
Mastery Play:
 Occurs
 They
when child is learning new skill
will repeat the behavior over & over, even for hours
 Examples:
riding a bike, skating, rolling down a hill
 Developments:
perfecting a skill, recognizes self progress,
feels sense of accomplishement, builds self-esteem
Types of Play
 Sensory
 Utilizes
Motor Play:
the senses & motor skills
 Examples:
playing with sand, mud, water, playdough,
packing materials, any textural media involved to learn
about pre-math & pre-science concepts
Types of Play
 Rough-and-Tumble
 Usually
looks like wrestling or fighting
 Childrens
pleasant
 If
Play:
faces will show happiness & their tone will be
anger or fear in voice or face, caregiver needs to step in
 This
type of play allows release of energy, and physical &
social development