Preview

The Importance Of Play In Early Childhood

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1751 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Importance Of Play In Early Childhood
The Importance of Play in Early Childhood: How it helps a child’s mental development
Joy Marie Neri
Empire State College
Exploring the Professions: Children and Child Care
December, 2014

Abstract
Play in a child’s life is extremely important. Starting with mental, social, health and just how they will develop as they grow. In researching several theories, we will look at how play and the lack there of has changed over the years. How children react to play and the environment they are placed in. Children tell us a lot without us always seeing the signs. Play does contribute to the way children deal with experiences in their life.
Keywords: play, develop, environment, research and theory
The Importance of Play in Early Childhood: How it helps a child’s mental development Playing is such an enormous component in a child’s life, and knowing that children want moments to participate in self-driven play is of such importance to teachers, instructor, coaches, tutors, caregivers and parents. Play time with parents and children is very important for both parties. It gives parents time to just relax and enjoy that moment with their kids and it gives children that sense of security and enjoyment with their parents. We see now a days that life is so busy and we have so many electronics for parents and children that we forget the simplicity of having a catch, hitting the ball, push on the swing and riding bikes. However, “free play” is such a significant aspect to our children’s daily growth and their need to be able to have and use their imagination. Imagination is such an essential tool for an adolescents, it helps them acquire about and a way to look at people and events that will not affect them in their real life. For example, it allows them to look at “what will I be when I grow up”, when reading a story they can visualize a “shipwreck” or “the big bad wolf”. “The imagination is absolutely vital for contemplating reality, not just those things we take to be mere

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Cypop5 Assessment Task 7

    • 3470 Words
    • 14 Pages

    The relationship between play and learning seems obvious to many child professionals and parents, and yet there are still lack of understanding surrounding the importance of children's play. Some people believe that children need to "work" not play, and that playing serves no useful purpose in a learning and development environment. This is surprising considering that play, with its high levels of motivation and potential enjoyment empowers children (as well as people of all ages) as follows:…

    • 3470 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 1/Cu1941

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages

    There are many pressures we face in adult life. Playing helps us to develop many of the skills we will use to help us in later in life such as problem solving, handling conflict, decision-making and even coping with feelings. Playing is something we will always do to help us move on to the next stage in our life, for example, a baby will swing his arms or legs around, a toddler will run, or jump and a young child will be slightly more organised with use of toys or creating. Playing is necessary for all children to help with cognitive growth, physical health, and everyday experiences.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 79 5.1

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages

    With encouragement to explore their world through play, children are likely to develop healthy and positive relationships.…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cypop 5 Task 7

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Play is an essential part of of every child's life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood and as well as social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. Having the time and space to play allows children the chance to keep them physically active and it gives them the freedom to make their own choices about what they want to do. Research shows that play has a range of benefits to the child, family and the community, as well as improving healthy and quality of life. Play also helps the child improve their self esteem, self awareness and self respect, it gives child a chance to mix with others and develop new skills.…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through play children develop co-ordination and strength, they also learn how to take risks, negotiate and overcome obstacles. Children need to take risks to find out about themselves and their boundaries and the best way to do that is through play, e. g, climbing walls, obstacle courses, climbing trees. Play is fundamental to the enjoyment of children, and is essential to children’s health, well-being and future life chances. Obesity, rickets and attention deficit disorder are just some of the growing problems in children that have been linked to a lack of particular forms of play.…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Play is a vital aspect of a child’s development, though it may not be fully supported in some environments. They may live in an area with small or limited resources and without the opportunity to interact with different materials and equipment, especially if they are surrounded by people who do not appreciate or understand the value of play. These children may suffer cognitively as they are unable to gain new experiences and expand their knowledge and understanding of the world.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay 1

    • 1205 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Play is important for children’s development and it help them to explore their world outside of what they feel or hear. Play help children’s to learn and develop their skills, Play is also important and support different areas of their development. Children’s learn things like soft and hard objects, it also develop their muscles for easy movement. The play work principle (2006) state, all children and young people need to play the impulse to play is innate, Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well being of individual and communities. “ Bob Hughes ( 2006), a play worker and play theorist, has defined sixteen play types, including creative, dramatic, exploratory, fantasy, locomotors, mastery, role, rough and tumble, social, socio-dramatic, symbolic, deep ( extremely risk) and recapitulative ( ritual) play. That this description indicates a relevance to the social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional development and outcome of the foundation stage,(www.standards.dfes,gov.uk/eyfs). Children increase their social competence and emotional maturity, play help them to communicate and learn to socialize with each others, and sharing with their friends. Children’s enjoy play; they develop gross and fine motor skills.…

    • 1205 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is a way in which children explore the world around them and develop and practice their skills. Play is a generic term that is applied to a range of activities and behaviours that are satisfying to the child, chosen by the child. It may involve equipment and resources or not, other children or alone and may not have an end product but should be fun for the child. Some of the benefits of play include interacting with others and forming a framework for their developing attitudes and behaviours, exploring the world around them and learning their place in it, presents opportunities to develop self confidence, a positive sense of self and to express themselves and learn through investigation of their…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Learning and Young Person

    • 870 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Play is vital to a child and young person’s development because it enables them to enjoy learning and promotes their development and also helps with their speech, language and communication skills, their physical, emotional, social and intellectual development.…

    • 870 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Play is important for children because playing is the process that essential to children’s developmental progress. Children need to go through each level of process to generate, develop and enhance their developmental progress and well being. In playing, children will need to use their physical ability, able to explore and apply their creativity and naturally started to think which is part of their cognitive development as well. Any involvement do contribute to language development as part of children’s developmental progress. When children developed ideas and creating playing terms, or toys that they are playing with and even the term used in the movement, by having the knowledge of the term, children will be able to name the toys, playing terms and movement accordingly. Also, by having a chance to discover new things and/or explore nature, will enhance their knowledge and opportunity to play. This will improve creativity and develop their thinking skills better, as they can experience things that will also helps building their problem solving skill too.…

    • 1330 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “play is the elemental learning process by which humankind has developed. Children exhibit a behavioural imperative and instinctive desire to play. It has contributed significantly to the evolutionary and developmental survival of our species. Children use play in the natural environment to learn of the world they inhabit with others. It is the very process of learning and growth, and as such all that is learnt through it is of benefit to the child.” (welsh government play policy)…

    • 1274 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the mind of a child ‘play’ constitute what they experience through activity taking place during a specific period time collectively with friends, family members or individually alone in his or her personal space. Brian Sutton-Smith (1997) a well-known play theorist believes that a child is born with a very active neuronal which will ease to function if not used. Children at an early age are capable of developing neurological function with will help them to solve problems, understand communication through language, respond to simple command and gain knowledge through the learning process. This activity requires any child to used physical function of the body for example muscles, nerves and senses. It’s always about learning as they progress…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Parenting Skills

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Play is important in a parent-child relationship because it bonding with the child and helps develop emotional and social skills and helps keep a good relationship.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    3. Why is play important in the parent-child relationship? play is important in bonding , in cognitive development , emotional development, social skills development, and communication development.…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    If children are not given this opportunity and are not being stimulated in a sufficient manner, they will suffer issues in their development both presently, and in the long term . Play is essential in cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of young children and without it a child cannot learn or develop .…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays