Play chapter 2 - created from Mind Map

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Perspectives on children's play ~

play can take many forms yet represents most distinctive features of childhood ~ and children across the globe have in common

Rousseau and others from Romantic era imagined children had a natural instinct for playful exploration which challenged Puritan discourse that thought children had to be trained to become civilised

different academic disciplines have different views and interests in play ~ biologists, psychologists and educators examine how play contributes to growth and development of children ~ psychoanalysts tend to focus on role of play in emotional adjustment ~ Sociologists and anthropologists are more concerned with how children develop and understanding of others and social roles through play

role paly and pretend play is a particular area of interest and research and is understood to be crucial to children's development of understanding others, learning about social roles and acquiring language

through role play children learn to make sense of their self and their world they are able to imagine themselves in different social roles which enables them to develop and reflect on themselves as individuals and how others see them ~ it is not just about practicing for future roles it is also enable children to make sense of what is happening in their present lives

play serves many functions but is important to consider children as competent social actors who value play for its own sake because they enjoy it

Attached Study Aids

Mind Map - Achieving health for Children

Mind Map - Resilience & well-being

play as culture

Peter and Iona Opie pioneered idea that children's play constitutes a culture of childhood that can be studied on its own terms ~ childhood as separate culture plays down social context of children's lives outside their relationships with their peers ~ this is a problem as majority of children's time is spent with adults

around the world play is often inseparable from work-based practices that help shape children's future social roles and will vary according to socio-economic contexts

play is increasingly subject to parent intervention aiming to prime children ready for academic success and future participation

children delight in sharing aspects of their culture with adults but also revel in the fact they find some parts of play a mystery

folklore and tradition

refers to manners, observations proverbs etc of olden times

the Opies were folklorists who set out to identify and chart traditions and pursuits of school children

social dynamics of play

place of toys

Play chapter 2