Presented by

Mayra Rodriguez, Ed. S.

School Psychologist

PLAY IS…..PLAY IS…..

• A child’s first language

• How a child safely explores the world

• A way of advancing cognitive development

• A mental support system that allows a child to think and act in new ways

• A way of dealing with emotions and resolving conflict

• Another step in identity development

PLAY IS...PLAY IS...

• Used by children to control their own behavior (Maniulenko, 1975)

• An opportunity for children to adopt another’s role, increasing perspective

• A way of learning social skills and prosocial behavior

• A natural way to learn how to handle conflict and aggression

PLAY IS A CHILD’S WORK!

OBSERVING PLAY...OBSERVING PLAY...• Provide clues regarding…

- cognitive development

-level of social skill

-emotional conflict/affect

-leader/follower preference

-attention span/ impulse control

-organized/ fragmented/ creative

TEACHING THROUGH PLAYTEACHING THROUGH PLAY

• Role play to resolve problem situations• Puppetry for storytelling• Fantasy/ symbolic play to illustrate academic

concepts-science -social studies -language skills -math

• Development of leadership skills• Rule-driven games to teach & reinforce

learned material