By Jacqueline Feinberg, Emma Lloyd, Benjamin Lewis &

Simon Kennedy

CHILDREN AT PLAY

Introduction

Children use different areas of play when interacting with

others they are • Social• Narrative• Imaginative • Transformative

Social

Social and Emotional Development:"Play," is a critical tool to develop a child's

social skills and increase their emotional maturity. Jean Piaget (1962) and psychologist's alike believe that play is the first link to cognitive development and contributes to developmentof a child's vocabulary, imagination, language comprehension, impulse control, empathy and group participation. "Play," provides a way for children to cope and express their feelings.

How "Play" increases a child's social skills

• Practice both verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

• Children develop negotiating abilities.

•  Communication skills to join in with play.

• Empathy towards other's feelings.• The ability to wait to use share

materials.

How "Play" develops a child's emotional maturity:

• Children create imaginary characters, plots and settings that coincide with their emotional state.

•  A child adds forbidden acts into their play/narrative for compensation but, in reality these acts wouldn't be permitted. For example eating cookies for breakfast.

• A child learns what activities they excel in compared to others.

YouTube Video

How teachers develop the social and emotional skills of their students and the activities they co-ordinate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiZP3lsgNec

Social

The following link is a magazine article that discusses the social and emotional development of children mostlyat a Preschool level and how the act of play increases their  chance of developing skills that willhelp them excel.

http://www2.ku.edu/~kskits/ta/Packets/RoleOfCurriculum/5_TheRoleOfPlayInCurriculum/ImportanceOfBeingPlayful.pdf

Social

The following link is a article from education.com where the writer J.P. Isenberg discusses the social and emotional development of children and examples of studies conducted by psychologist that have researchedthis topic.  http://www.education.com/reference/article/importance-play--social-emotional/  

Narrative

What is it?• Narrative (or story telling) is the

play of learning and language that develops intellect. Narrative therapy is also very common in family and children counselling/ psychology. Examples include:

• Parent reading to their child• A child retelling the story in his or

her own words

What is the outcome?

Narrative play not only helps children learn and develop

intellect, but it also helps them build a meaning of the world in

which they live in

How does it work?

How does it work?• Hamilton and Weiss (1990), state that

all humans are natural storytellers, by passing down:

• Beliefs• Traditions • History • The following link is a theory/report on

how narrative play works• http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct

=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CD4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.lib.umn.edu%2Fmulli105%2F1601spr2011%2F1-NarrPlayArtSelf.pdf&ei=jAYnUof5DIjqiAens4BA&usg=AFQjCNEFCQvAl0keTJLyafA0VPZyPTeKDg&bvm=bv.51495398,d.dGI

Narrative play therapy:

• Assists children that have been hurt in some way to cope with the adult world. For example a child may have been a victim of domestic violence from a parent, family member or acquaintance, and in therapy ay refer to this person as a “monster”. The following YouTube clip shows a therapy session in action.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip9eAEWc_yA

• Also see: Narrative therapy in children http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMst5HoOS6c

Ideas and games

• Songs• Poems• Rhymes• Riddles• Stories• Folk tales• Drawings and paintings

 Why is it important?

• Makes sense of the world we live in

• Understanding of yourself• Experience (how kids describe it

and know it to be)• Making sense of facts and

emotions

Imaginative

Transformative

What is it? Transformative refers to the transformation of an

individual through the stages of childhood. Studies suggest that young children develop and learn predominantly through play and interaction, using creative approaches rather than a strict curriculum (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2009). Activities such as story telling, rhyming, acting games, art, dance and music best encourage the development of personal skills in children (Department of Mental Health, 2010).

How does it work?

The interactions and encounters that children have during the first three years of their life are the most critical to learning and development. Through practicing verbal skills, imaginative skills and communication skills, children may develop an array of dexterities that have an impact on the remainder of their lives.

What is the expected outcome?

It is expected that play throughout the stages of childhood will guide the way children react to stressful environments, help their brain mature and improve literacy foundations and communication skills as well as a number of other skills.

 Why is it important?

 • It is important for children to playas it will help

them to develop skills that are necessary for their future. Examples of skills they may acquire include:

• Awareness of self and others often through expression and body language.

• Positive sense of self-esteem, mastery and social inclusion.

• Improve social interaction skills.• Encourage children to extend their comfort zone.• Improve problem solving, conflict resolution and

coping strategies

Conclusion

Overall social, narrative, imaginative and transformative play is essential in children whilst interacting with others. It shapes their development and helps them gain an understanding of the world they live in and who they are

References• Narrative therapy example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip9eAEWc_yA• Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 34, No. 4, February 2007 (2006) DOI: 10.1007/s10643-006-0137-4:

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CD4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.lib.umn.edu%2Fmulli105%2F1601spr2011%2F1-NarrPlayArtSelf.pdf&ei=jAYnUof5DIjqiAens4BA&usg=AFQjCNEFCQvAl0keTJLyafA0VPZyPTeKDg&bvm=bv.51495398,d.dGI

• Ann Cattanach, Narrative Approaches in Play with Children: http://collaborative-practices.com/archived/volume-3-archives/bookshelf-3/narrative-approaches-in-play-with-children/

• Narrative therapy in children video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMst5HoOS6c• http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/pdfs/tip-sheets/tip-sheet-why-play-is-important.pdf• • http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/why_play_is_important.html• http://www.education.com/reference/article/importance-play--social-emotional/• • http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talk_to_your_baby/news/2332_10_reasons_why_play_is_important• • http://www.unicef.org/chinese/earlychildhood/files/GuidelineforECDKitcaregivers.pdf• • Department of Mental Health(2010).Confident communities brighter futures a framework for developing

wellbeing.England: New Horizons• • National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2009).Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral

disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities