Chapter 7: The Value of Play
Overview
Susan overheard the children in her Dragonfly preschool room playing restaurant. “That’s not what I ordered!” one child, Shandra, exclaimed. Jack replied, “You did not order from the menu. You have to get something from the menu!” They were playing restaurant. Michelle, Shay, and Tia came over and asked what was on the menu. Jack said the menu had soup, burgers, spaghetti, and chicken nuggets. Tia asked about the special of the day. Soon children decided on roles for themselves and there were three customers, a cook, and a server. The play continued with ordering, cooking, eating, and paying bills. Two more children joined the restaurant play, and one watched.
Later in the day the children from the Dragonfly classroom were outside on the playground. Kai was sitting alone playing in the sand and filling round containers. It had rained earlier in the day so the sand was wet. Shay came up to Kai and said, “Are you making pies?” Kai replied “Yes.” Shay asked, “What kind of pie? Can it be served in a restaurant?” Kai said, “Berry pie.” Then a group of children ran up to them and said, “Oh no, hot lava! You are in the hot lava!” Everyone ran to the play structure, climbed to the top, and some expressed relief that they were all safe from the lava. They looked down at the lava for a couple of minutes until Shandra announced: “The lava is cool now.” A game of chase started and the children ran around the playground until Jack stopped because he noticed a worm on the ground. This led to conversations about the worm: why it was out, where it was going, and what it eats.
Although play is a common topic, people think of many different things when they hear the word play, and describing it is complex. This chapter begins with a description of play and continues with information about how play supports children’s development in all domains. Then, seven common types of play are described. The last section will address how play happens in the early childhood classroom and includes information about how some children struggle when playing by themselves and/or with others.
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
- Identify the three key components of play.
- List and describe six types of play.
- Analyze a play scenario and for each developmental domain (physical, cognitive, and social/emotional) illustrate one way in which children are learning.
- Identify and describe the three categories of common challenges some children experience in play.
Key Terms
- Actvity
- Constructive play
- Dramatic play
- Experience
- Exploratory play
- Expressive language
- Extrinsic
- Intrinsic
- Outdoor/nature play
- Physical play
- Receptive language
- Risky play
- Sensorimotor play
