UNIT 5 IMPORTANCE OF PLAY IN

DEVELOPMENT
Structure
5.1 Introduction
5.2 What is Play
5.3 Role of Play in Development
5.3.1 Play Promotes Cognitive Develepment
5.3.2 Play Promotes Imagination and Creativity
5.3.3 Play Promotes Physical and Motor Development
5.3.4 Play Helps in Acquiring Language
5.3.5 Through Play the Child Learns to be Social
5.3.6 Play Helps in Emotional Development
5.4 Play as a Means of Understanding Children's Development
5.5 Play and Learning
5.5.1 In Infancy Thought Develops Through Activity
5.5.2 Children Learn by Doing
5.5.3 Play Holds the Child's Attention
5.5.4 Learning Through Play is Fun
5.6 Kinds of play\
5.7 Factors Affecting Play
5.7.1 Age
5.72 Gender
5.7.3 Culture
5.7.4 Social Class-
5.7.5 Ecology and Setting
5.7.6 Media
5.7.7 Quality of Experience
5.8 Summing Up
5.9 Glossary
5.10 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

5.1 INTRODUCTION
In Unit 4 you read that programmes for children must be based on play as the medium
of leaming and instruction. Why do we say this? Can children learn through play? If so,
what do they learn through play? You will read the answers to such questions in this
Unit. You will &so study about the factors that influence the nature of children's play.

Objectives
After studying this Unit, you will be able to:
&fme the characteristics of play
discuss the role of play in the development of children
explain that observation of children's play can be used to understand their
development
&tail the kinds of play
describe the factors that influence children's play
I

5.2 WHAT IS PLAY

1)

All children play. It would be rare and very surprising to see a group of children sitting
together quietly without doing anything. Even if a child is alone, you can be sure that
she would find something or the other to play with. Not only children, but adults also
play. What do we mean by play? Let us look at some activities of children to
understand the meaning of play.
Three year old Abhinav, strolling in the garden, pic& up the pipe that ir used for
watering plants. He hold it at a height and observes the water falling on the grass. He
looks back at the end of the p i p attentively and puts his finger into it. This makes the
water spray out in all directions. Some water falls on his clothes and some on the
plants. He takes his finger out of the pipe and puts it back again. He .remains engrossed
in this activity for the next ten minutes.
Five month old Shashi is lying on a sheet spread out on the ftoor. She Rich her legs
and waves her arms about and in the process manages to get thedcomrof the sheet in
her hand She trics to put it in her mouth Her mother tukes the sheet out of her mouth
and gives Shashi a toy. Shshi puts it in her mouth, then squeezes it in her hand and
then again trics to put the toy in her mouth.
A group of eight year old boys is playing in the open. l k o boys hold hands and try to
catch the others. They jinally manage to catch one of them, who then h l d r luurdr with
t h ond then the three start chasing the others.
If any observer is asked what the children are cfoiug in each of the three situations, the
answer would probably be, "They afe piaymg." Observers usually agree on which
activities should be seen as p@y and which ones should not. However, when asked to
defme play, no two experts agtee on a single defmition. Despite these differences,
certain characteristics of play have been detailed which help us to identify activitia
which can be considered play. I

Firstly, play is fun. Any activity that the child finds enjoyable is play. The same
activity can be play or work for different people. For example, for a carpentex making a
wooden table is work, but for anotha person who is doing it for enjoyment it is a
hobby. The same activity can be play or wdk for a person under different situations.
For instance, when children learn the denominations of coins in b e classroom they are
working. But when they play a game of selling and buying vegetables and in the
process learn about denominations of coins, the activity is play.

Secondly play b emjoyable tor Its o m sake; It is Its own reward. Play activities
provide satisfaction to children. When a child jumps Erom a step and tba climbs bad^
to jump again, she is doing it simply because she is enjoying it. She is not showing her
skills to get praise or to win a prize. At the same time, the child is developing physical
and motor M s though this may not have been the child's goal.
Finally, play 19 that activity in which particlpatlon b spontaneous and of the chlld's
own will. She has not been forced to participate. Also, the participation is active. Only
if the child is doing something will the activity be considered play.

It is often thougbt that when children are playing, they are not serioos about the activity.
This is not so. Chilbren take their play veay seriously. Any interfexence or change made
in their activily by someoae who is not participating is not appaeciated. They have heir
own mles for play activities.

Reseatcbers have aied to find zegsolls why children and adults spend s h a lot of time
in play. Tbere are m y different views about this. Some view play as a way of
escaping from life's problems and fnw reality and as a means of forgetting me's
troubles. Play is also seen as an activity for ~ M o nOthers
. view if as an activity tbat
helps to use the excess energy cf individual. On tbe play of children an important
viewpoint k that tbrough play cbildtea p r e p f a adult roles. Besides h w i n g why
cbildren aikl adults play, it is important to Mderstand what happens through play.

AU fewdws agree that &Wfen learn through play and that play fostem development.
Evidence from studies reveals that-children who have no ~~ far play and
stimulation lag behind in & areas of development. Obsemations of children who have
beenabendonedby~irparem(sorhavebeen~Eromtbemandplacedm
children's homes and similar h u t u t i m have lead to some conc4nsions reganiing tbe
role of play m development. Institutions provide food, shelter, clothing and education.
However, research has &own that in most cases the institutions me onable to provide
the environment necessary for a cbild's optimal development. Often one camgiver l&
a t k a large number of children and is unable to s p e d enough time with & child.
Infants are not talked to, played with or picked up. The emphasis is mostly on routine
physical care: changing clothes, giving food and health check-ups. Even on such
occasions there is minimal talk or interaction of the adults with the children. The social
interadon with a nlrrturant caregiver is missing. In same institutions it was seen that
children were placed in cribs with the sides covered with cloth. As a result, they could
not see beyond the crib. They had no toys except those hanging by the c d at the top
of the crib, which the child could not reach. The children's entire day was spent lying
in the crib with nothing new to see, hear or touch. In their cases cognitive, language,
physical and motor development was slow. Merely removing the cloth covers from the
cribs so that the infants could see other cribs and adults moving about made a marked
difference to their liveliness and alertness.

Check Your Progress Exercise 1

1) The words written below are characteristics of children's play about which you have
read in this Section. They have been written in a jumbled way. Write them correGtly
in the space provided For example UTB-BUT.
a) NUF ....................................................................... .;. ..................
,
b) TSPOANEONUS ..............................................................................
c) WNO WERARD ..............................................................................
d) VITECA ........................................................................................

53 ROLE OF PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT

Let us now read in detail how play fosters development in all areas.

5.3.1 Play Promotes Cognitive Development

You larow that children are curious by nature. Play situations provideopportunities to
handle and examine objects and explore the surroundings which help children to find
answers to the questions in their miads and to understand the reason why things bappen
the way they do. By allowing children to play as they like, we help them in learning.
Play allows children to discover and learn for themselves. To discover means to find
c ~about
t things and events for oneself. The following anecdote shows how Radha, a
four year old, discovers the m e s of a mud pot while playing.
Radha was playing near a &r which was resting against a wall She saw a small
clay pot lying nearby. She played with it by filling it with mud and emptying it. @er
some time she picked up the pot and tried to balance it on the step of the krddcr. It fell
down and broke. She looked at it for a while, picked up one of the pieces and put it on
the step again. The piece fell &wn and brok into smaller pieces. Rodha repeated her
eqeriment again with one of these smaller pieces. Tlris time the piece fell dawn but did
not break She picked up this piece, looked at it fir a while, then threw it away and
went ins& the house.
That Radba repeatedly tried to balance the piece and saw it fall down makes it clear
that her curiosity was aroused. Perhaps the questions tbat came to her mind were. "Will
the piece fall again? If it does, will it break?'' Therefon, she shed to balance the piece
repeatedly. When the piece did not break the third time, she was equally curious.
Perhaps in her own way she noticed that a vuy small piece does not break, but Qes
not understand why it is so. Her curiosity may lead her to ask somebody why the pieces
always fell down and broke and why the last piece did not break. She is certain to have
many similar expsiences during the course of her play and these will help her in
understanding what happens to things when lhey falL
Of comse it is true that the small piece will also break if it k tbrown with greater force
and may be an older child would have tried this. But kadha does not have the capacity
as yet to mdasgnd this. This shows (hat the d i l d %arns what she is cognitively ready
to learn, a you have read in Unit 3. This is also related to the fact that what the child
finds stimulating depends upon bet cognitive skills.
Now consider the second point about bow play helps in development. In play children
have the freedom to choose things which are of interest to them. They will choose those
activities for play that are neither too simple nor too tough as these would be
challenging and interesting. In this way they learn things that they are ready to learn.
Thus learning becomes a pleasure and not a burden.

"Let's grow trees!" Finding out about plants while playing

It must be emphasized that play helps children to learn by doing. This leads to a better
understanding of a concept than when the child is simply told about it without being
allowed to try it out. You would understand this from your own experiences. For
example, cooking something is a different experience from merely hearing a recipe from
a friend. Similarly, if you had just told Radha that a small piece of baked clay would
not break on falling, it is most likely that she would not have understood or even been
interested.

Role of the Caregiver: The fact that children learn during their play does not mean that
the caregiver has no role in helping children learn through play. Firstly, the caregiver is
needed to help the children understand their discoveries. Radha may have realized that
small pieces do not break but we cannot be sure. Of course she will understand this as
she has other such opportunities, but the chregiver can help the child do learn from this
experience itself. She can draw he child's attention to the possibilities she may have
missed. For example, if the caregiver had been with Radha she could have said, "Radha,
did you see that the pot breaks but small pieces do not break?', thus helping Radha to
understand what she had seen.

Secondly, the caregiver can extend the child's discovery. She could have asked Radha
to throw the piece on a-softer surface like sand or grass or in water and see what
happens. This would have led to other discoveries such as the pot does not break in
water. In addition, the caregiver should provide opportunities for discovery. When
children are allowed to handle play materials and encouraged 'to do things on their own,
they learn.
 F i y , the caregiver Qes not always have to wait for the children to discover hrportpnee of Play h~
soanethiag. She can plan chilclreds activities in such a way that they lead to discovery. ~tvckpaad

I
While Qing so the caregiver must be guided by children's interest and their level of
understandingbFor.example, take water play. The caregiver can provide containers of
-
water and an wmtment of things some which float and some which sink. As
childsn pul thee Wigs in water, they will observe that while some things, like leaves,
twigs and bits of p a p float,others such as spoon and pebble sink. This can tben lead
to discussions about things that sink and float and why.

Through play the caregiver can help the chiidren leam concepts of colour, shapes,
n u m b , seasons of the year, names of birds and plants etc. They also leam concepts of
big and small, tall and short, light and heavy, etc. J e t as for cognitive development, the
caregiver is needed to plan and conduct activities to foster development in other areas
also, You will read about the various activities the caregiver can plan in the following
slack.

5.3.2 Play Promotes Imagination and Creativity

In play children imagine what it is to be like someone else -to feel, act, t h i i work
p
and behave like them. For example. when the chid is playing mother to the doll, she
tells the do11 that she cannot get a sweet because it is harmful. This is exactly the
explanation offered to the child by her mother when she had asked for a sweet. The
child is thus learning the appropriate behaviour by imitation during play.
Make-believe is a part of children's play. In play it is possible to be creative and to do
more than in reality. A broken plate may become a table for a three year old girl and
complicated spaceship for a 10 year old child. A string of match boxes can be a train.
Playing with this train children may pretend to pass through a forest, cross a river and
fight with robbers. Do not be surprised if the train moves on a road instead of a rail
(rack! Play does not have to be a mirror of reality. Ra&r, it provides a flexible
siluarion which allows the child to be creative. It nurtures imagination which helps the
child to deal with day-to-day situations.

53.3 Play Promotes Physical and Motor Development

You have read that physical development and acquisition of motof skills depend upon
matmation of the parts of the body and the opportunities available to the child to
pradse these skills. Play provides the child with opportunities to practise. 'Ibe following
anecIlae illustrates this. The mother of a four month old infant playfully moves the
rattle in front of the child. Tbe infant, atmcted by the rattle, tries to turn on her
suwnach to reach for it. To do this she has to coordinate the movement of various
muscles. Repeated &om to reach for the rattle give the infant an opportMity to
prraise aad thus perfect the skill of rolling over.
WheD children balance on bricks, jump over walls, climb steps, hang from bars, play
games of chase and ride bicycles, the coo~dinationof theii large muscles improves.
Playing with a stick and digging holes with it in the ground, making a necklace by
thmdbg leaves, drawing ax@ painting give the child practice for fine motor
. .
cmdmatlon.

5.3.4 Play Helps in Acquiring Language

You will wad in the Shsequent Blocks how children learnlanguage. However, it is
evident that to learn language one has to hear it and practise speaking it. llhe playful
intemctiolls with camgiveas give the child plenty of opportmi(ie8 to bear the language
and motivate her to speak. When the infant is about nine montbs of age, her
v
. . m are a qetition of syllables like "gagaga", "bebebe", and
"mummummum". _When tbe mother hears the sounds that membie adult speech, she
feels happy, mpo& to the & and encourages her to repeat the sounds. 'Lhis is the
beginning of speech. During these interactions the child also l m s to disaiminate
sotmds. 'lhls would latea help her to differentiate words such as 'car' from 'bat' and
thus recognize them as two different words.
In play the child begins to understand different shapes such as square, circle, straight
line and curved line, which will help her later to differentiate the letters of the alphabet
She will also learn that a black and a red circle or a small and a big circle are all
circles. This helps her to understand that the letter C is the same whether it is capital or
small, whether it is at the beginning of the word or at the end. She learns the meaning
of before and after, left and right, up and down -concepts that are necessary for
learning to read and write. You have already seen that play helps in fine motor
development which is required for writing.
You know that children spontaneously learn only those things that they are interested in.
This is aue of learning to read and write as well. Listening to stories will create in the
child a desire to read them herself and will motivate her to learn to read and write. If a
child does not know how to write and is forced by the caregiver to write letters of the
alphabet the m t e d trials and failures may discourage hex. If this learning is made
into a game where the child is asked to place small stones on the 'A' drawn on the
floor, walk ovex the shape or join the dots the educator draws for her, she will gradually
become familiar with the outline. She will find this activity fun and in the process learn
how to write 'A' without feeling forced.

5.3.5 Through Play the Child Learns to be Social

In the first few months, the interactions of the caregiver with the infant as she bathes,
4
feeds, clothes her and puts her to sleep help the child to recognize the caregiver and to
develop an attachment with her. This, as you know, is the infant's first social
relationship which has a lasting impact on her future relationships with people.
During the fmt year of life, the baby plays with and explores her own body and things
within hex immediate reach. This helps her to understand that her body is sepamte from
other objects in the surroundings and leads to the development of the concept of self.
I
i
During play, the infant begins to understand the effect she has on people and objects in
the environment When she cries, the mother comes to her, when she laughs, the mother
also laughs and hugs her; wbem playing with a box she notices that the box moves
ii
1
towards k when she pulls it. All this gives her an idea of what she can do. Exploring
the environment and mastexing situations gives her confidence and a feeling of
hdepedence. As she gmws older, she plays with other children and learns to share,
follow the ~ l e of
s the game and wait for her turn to play. Tbus she begins to learn to
taLe into c o n s ~ t i o nanother person's point of view.

Playing together b fim

 During play children often imitate adults. In this way they learn roles that they would be
required to play in later life and to behave as others expect. Interacting with people in
play they learn about different types of occupations, festivals, traditions and beliefs.

5.3.6 Play Helps in Emotional Development

-
hportaaol~h

Children's play provides them opportunities to express delight, joy, anger, fear, distress
and other emotions. In play there is freedom to do as one chooses, so long as one does
not hurt others. Play allows expression of feelings and emotions which may not be
allowed in other situations. Retending to be the father the child can ask another child to
obey her, which she may not be able to do in other situations. Playing the scene of a
battle she can scream loudly. throw things about and pretend to hit others which would
not be allowed at other times. Four year old Raza was often scolded by his parents for
the most minor violation of a rule. For the slightest misdeed he was slapped or hit with
the father's belt. This child would often sit on a chair and pretend that it was a horse.
He would hit the &air with a belt and say, "Go faster, faster still." The child is
obviously full of anger and resentment towards his father but cannot vent his feelings at
him. The imaginary play situation gives the child a way to express his anger. It helps
him to work out his emotions. You would have also seen tbat children's play reflects .
-
their moods and feelings. For this reasQnplay is also used as a treatment or a therapy
for children who do not 'show normal emotional reactions to situations.
As you would have understood from the discussions in this Section, play prepam the
child for what lies ahead by aiding her development. The concepts she learns during
play, the emerging skills of reading and writing and the ability to participate in a group
will help her later to adjust in school. Play thus helps In academic readiness. Play also
nurtures the spirit of enquiry and a desire to find out. The child's increasing self
d i n c e as she l m s and masters new things makes her sure of herself and willing
to accept challenges.

- Check Your Progress Ekerclse 2

1) The paragraph given below describes a ph$ situation. Read it carefully and in the
space provided write about any two areas of development which are being fostered
thtougb the play activity. Describe how this happens in each case in 3 4 lines as
illustrated in the example below.

Play Situation L

A group of four year olds is playing in the open. Some children are shrieking and
chasing each other. Four are playing on the swing. Each child waits for her turn to
swing. One child pushes the swing for the others. While waiting for their turn, two
children begin to play in the sand. They draw shapes with a stick. One child says,
"I have made a pmt." The other child says, "I have made an elephant. Do you
know what happened to the elephaot in the jungle? He fell down in a river, and
then .................."In this way the child went on to narrate an imaginary incident.
The child who is pushing b e swing counts till the swing goes back and forth ten
times and then asks the child who is swinging to get off. The next child then gets
ber m.

Language development. During the course of play children are talking to each other.
One chid is telling the other an imaginary incident She is putting events in sequence
and is using words to express herself. Thus language development is beirlg f o s t d .
Introduction to Cblld Care 2) In three'lines write how play fos5rs emotional developjnent.
snd Development
..............................................................................................................................................

3) List four ways in which the caregiver can help children learn through play.

5.p PLAY AS A MEANS OF UNDERSTANDING

I CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT
Observations of children at play can provide considerable information about their
abilities, level of understanding and personality traits. This is because while playing
children are not inhibited or conscious and, therefore, one can see them at their best:
Their play is not being controlled by adults. Let us read how play situations can provide
an insight into children's development.

When the mother tries to amuse the infant by shaking her bangles and the child does
not respond to the sound on more than are occasions, it is a cause for concern. It can
imply that there is some problem with the child's hearing which must be investigated.
The child's ability to separate stones according to size, leaves according to their shape
or to group flowers according to their colour reflects an understanding of these concepts
(size, shape and colour). Thus these phy activities help us to know about the child's
cognitive abilities.

The following incident shows how observations of play help us to assess whether
children have understood cdhcepts qr are repeating them from memory. A three year old
child could recite numbers from 1 to 10 in the correct sequence. This would make us
think that the chhd knows numbers. But observation of the child during play powed
that this was not true. While playing with stones with anothef child she said,'"You take
one-stoneand I will take four." She gave the child one but picked a handful for herself
saying that they were four. The child knew the meaning of one and many but did not
know the difference between 2, 3, 4 or 5.

The level of physical and motor development can be gauged when children jump from
heights, climb trees, plag games that require them ti, hop on one leg or climb steps, play
with pebbles or sand, and so on. Some children at four years of age tell stories fluently
and eloquently. This reflects their mastery of language.and the cognitive ability to string
together sentences in a logically correct,sequence. The child's drawings and stories,
apart from reflecting her motor and cogniuve skills, may also give us an idea about her
emotional divelopment.

Play +o reflects the child's social development, as in the following case. While
playing Anita fell down and started to cry. Pavit, four and a half years old, saw Anita
crying. He walked upto her, wiped her tears and said, "Don't cry. Is it hurting? I
also feel pain nVwn I fall. Let us put some medicine on it, it will become better."
This incident reflects that Pavit could understand that Anita was hurt and must be
feeling pain. He was able to see the event_fromher point of view and understand her
emotions. I
 I m p r l a n c c of Play in
5.5 PLAY AND LEARNING DrvPkynnrnl

So far we have discussed the meaning of play and how it helps in children's
development. Let us now read why play should be the medium of learning for children.'

5.5.1 In Infancy Thought Develops Through Activity

By the time the child is three years of age, she can express her needs verbally. talk to
people, make friends, walk, run and jump. The child understands what others say and
interacts with her mother, father, sister and many others. HOW does she leam all this?
As an infant the only way the child can leam is by doing an activity and finding out for
herself. She plays with things to learn about them - she wants to hold them, put them
in her mouth and show them to others. While playing with things. the child gradually
learns that objects not visible to her do exist somewhere else. When things fall down.
the infant learns that they may break. In h e early years learning of social, cognitive.
language and motor skills is possible only through play.

5.5.2 Children Learn by Doing

A well accepted fact is that "learning by doing" is the best way to learn. When a child
throws a stone in water and sees it sink to the bottom and then throws a stick and sees
it float, she realizes that some things sink and others float. After repeated experiments
and clarificationsfrom adults she understands why some things sink and some float.
Instead of be~ngallowed to do this activity, if the child was merely told about this
concept, it would not be so clear to her.

5.5.3 Play Holds the. Child's Attention

Children have a short span of attention. They cannot attend to one activity for long nor
sit at one place for long. Formal instruction where the teacher talks and the child listens.
as happens in most preschools, is not the best way to help them leam hecause they get
bored or distracted soon. In the early years imparting concepts through play is most
effective. Play involves the children physically and holds their attention in one activity
for longer periods and, therefore. aids learning.

5.5.4 Lemming mrough play is 'Fun .

Play is not an activity thrust on the child by the adult. It is something she does on her
own because she enjoys it. It is only fair that we help children learn through ways they
enjoy and make leaming a stimulating and rewarding experience for them. As mentioned
earlier, when allowed to play and choose activities, children pick those that they find
inksting and challenging. PIay, therefore, is an enjoyable medium through which
children leam things they are ready to learn.

5.6 KINDS OF PLAY

Play activities of children can be classified in a number of ways. Some classifications
take the play space into consideration, some are based on the content of the activity and
others on the skills needed for the play activity. Different classifications are used for
convenience. However, they overlap with one another.
Free and structured play: Some play activities are planned hy the wegiver with goals
and objectives in mind. In such an activity the child follows some of the instructions of
the caregiver. Qn the basis of whether the child is free to play as she likes or follows
some rules and steps laid down by the caregiver, play is categorized as free or
structured. When, for example; the child is playing with clay as she likes, the activity is
referred to as free play. On the other hand, when the caregiver intervenes and gives
suggestions like, "Let us go out and make cups and saucers with clay." with a view to
strengthen the child's concept of shape, the play becomes structured. This, however,
does not imply that free play does not achieve anything. All play leads to learning. The
difference is that in structured play what is hoped to be achieved by the activity is
determined by the educator.
~ t e a l u d C M Both kinds of play are essential for children. Free play helps to sustain curiosity and
=d-=h-- initiative and fosters discovesy. Structured play, because of the role of tHe caregiver,
. helps to draw' the attention of the child to various aspects which she may miss during
free play. In this way it helps to ensure that a particular goal is attained. However, the
caregiver should be careful that the activity that she has planned is enjoyable for the
child.
0u.tdoor and indoor play: As the name suggests, games that are usually played in the
open are referred to as outdoor play while those that are played inside are indoor play.
Outdoor play allows a greater degree of physical activity and freedom of movement as
t h e is more space and fewer obstructions. Indoor activities are carried out in a limited
space and do not allow so mu& freedom of movement. In a way the distinction
between outdoor and indoor play is arbitrary. Many indoor play activities can be
conducted outdoors and outdoor games can be played inside too. Children can paint
sitting in a room or they can do so in the open. A game of cricket, with modifmtions,
can be played inside a room. Sometimes the indoor activities when conducted outside
break the monotony and make the same activity new and interesting for the child.
Individual and group play: When the child plays by herself, it is referred to as
individual play. When she plays with other children, it is referred to as group play.
Playing in a group requires the child to rake into consideration another person's point of
'view and follow rules. These abilities, as you have read, develop with age. Till the
children are about three to four years old they mostly play by themselves, interacting
with others only for a short duration. As children grow older they learn to play with
others and a major part of their play time is spent in group play. However, from time to
time the older children too go back to playing by themselves.
Group play fosters in the child social skills necessary for interaction with others.
Individual play gives the child time to work on things that she finds most interesting
and helps her to develop her skills.
Vigorous and quiet play: Sometimes adults exclaim, "Why can't children sit in one
place? Why do they have to keep running about?" Children enjoy play activities that
require them to run, hop, skip and jwnp, that is, those that require them to spend a lot
of energy. These activities are called vigorous play activities. Play that does not involve
too much physical activity such as scribbing with a chalk on the floor, drawing, making
objects from clay or making a tower from stones help the child to relax and regain
some energy spent during vigorous games. These play activities are d e d quiet play.
Semorlmotor and symbollc play: Iri infancy children play with things in the
environment that are within reach. They see, touch, smell, taste and hear and explore the
environment and gain infamation. These activities involve the senses and require motor
wordhation and are referred to as sensorimotor play. Towards the end of infancy the
child beghs to take part in 'pretend play.' In this play the child pretends that a tin box
is a house or a wooden block is an aeroplane. Thus a parti~ularobject is used as a thing
which it actually is not. She can play the role of others and pretend to be a fruit selIer,
a teacher, a flower seller etc. This kind of play require. the cognitive ability to use
things and people as symbols. It also requires imagination and an ability to make
believe. This play is refemed to as symbolic play and is possible only as a result of
development of cognitive abilitied in the preschool years. The transitibn from
sensorimotor to symbolic play is based on an increasing complexity in children's
' thought.
You must have realized that these classifications of play are overlapping. Free play can
be outdoor or indoor. Group play can be quiet or vigorous. What is fmportant is tbat the
child2shouldget an opportunity for every kind of play sine each has its own use.

Check Your P r o p Ewerelse 3

1) Fill in the'blanks in the following sentences:

. . a) Observation of children's play provides infomation about their ...........................
It, &erefore, helps to assess their ...........................in all spheres.
64 b) Play should be the medium of learning for children because learning
 by ..........................', is the best way to learn and learning through play
is ............................
c) Play activities in which children follow instructions.of the caregiver A

are ............;.............. and the ones in which the child is free to do what she
wants are ...........................
d) h e s that are usually played out in the open are ..........................;. while' those
that are played in the mom are ...........................
e) When the child plays by herself. it is referred to as ...........................P ~ Y
when she plays with other children it is called ...........................Play.
f) Activities that require children to spend a lot of energy are referred to
as ...........................play activities. On the other hand play that does not involve
too much physical activity is ......................... play.
.;

-- .- -

5.7 FACTORS AFFECTING PLAY

The kind of games children play, the play material used, the content of their play and
the time they are able to spend in play are influenced by many factors. In this Section
you will learn how these' factors influence play.

5.7.1 Age
The age of the cbild influences tbe kind of play activity chosen. A six month old child
plays by picking up tbe objects in her reach and examining them. For a four year old
child riding a tricycle and making objects with sand is great fun. An eight year old child
likes to ride a bicycle, climb aees and play hop-scotch. The kind of play the child
chooses is demmined by her skills and abilities. In tbe examples mentioned above the
physical skills influence the kind of activities cbildren cboose. The increasing social
competeuce of the growing child change the quality of interaction between children and
!hug influence the kinds of play activities. 'bee year old children will not be able to
play games k t require them to cooperate with each other, play as a team and follow
rules which eight year olds can do very well.

Tbe content of children's play also varies with age. When,fax example, a six year old
child is playing with a doll, her conversation with the doll will be different from that of
a three year old The six year old child will probably plan details such as *sing the
doll for school, teaching her, discussing her progress with her parents, taking her out to
play and so forth. The three year old's game with the doll will be simpler.
The amount of time that the child spends in a particular. play activity is also determined
by her age. As you know, the younger the child, the lesser is her attention span for a
parliculiu activity and, therefore, more frequent are the c4anges in play activities.
Though age has a defmite role in influencing children's play, you must not forget that
there are individual differences and preferences. A five year old child, for example, may
spend less time in group play than othex children of her age.

5.7.2 Gender I

Can you think of some games that are played pfimarily by boys and.those tbat are
I
played only by girls? Do you think girls and boys are born with such play preferences?
What ate the things that distinguish the games that girls play from those &at boys play?
'Ihe amount of physical activity, the type of play material and toys used for play and
the &me of the game are some of the ways in whicb their play differs. If you
infant boys and girls you would notice that their play activities are similar. Their play is
e x p b r a h of their body and objects nearby. But as children .grow older, tbey show
prefemxm in play activitia. This difference in their play increases with age. Girls li&e
htroduction to cblld care to wear theii mother's dress, play with dolls, pretend to cock food, sew and play
mdDevaopnerC hop-scotch. Boys like to wear their father's clothes, ride a bullock cart,'plough the field
or play with guns. Studies that have compared the play of boys and girls report that
boys are observed to engage in physical fights in play and show more competitive spirit
than girls. Girls are more cooperative in play. Boys engage in more vigorous games
compared to girls. What could be the reasons for this?
Physiological differences between boys and girls could be one of the reasons.
Physiology influences the amount of physical activity that a child can do.This would
have an impact on the games children choose with boys choosing vigorous games. But
much of the play prefeaences of children are a consequence of social expectations and
stereotypes. The child's gender influences the expectations people have from hex and .
this, in lurn, affects her play prefetences. Let us understand this from the following
example. You must have observed that a boy is usually able to climb a tree better than
a girl. It is not as if the girl is physiological unable to climb bees. She can. But perhaps
when the girl fmt climbed a tree she was told by her mother to be more 'girl-like' and
do things that girls do. The boy, on the other hand, was praised for his efforts. Thus the
boy learns to climb trees more efficiently than the girl.
In day-to-day activities girls are required to look after younger siblings and help in the
household work. Their play thus reflects such a situation. Boys may help the father in
the field or do outdoor jobs and these situations appear in their play. In the present
times, especially in urban areas, girls can be observed playing the role of doctor or
policewoman in their play as more women ate seen engaged in these professions.
Parents foster play preferences by giving different play materials to boys and girls. Girls
are given doh, utensils and the like to play with. Boys are given guns and cars as toys.
Hari, a four year old, when asked by his sister to play with her dolls refused
emphatically saying, "I don't l i i to play the games of girls." But he can be s e a
playing with the dolls when he thinks no one is looking! Certainly he does not have an
inborn dislike for doll play. '

5.7.3 Culture
You would recall reading that culture influences one's way of life. It also influences the
child raring practices. There are several such practices, some of which will be
mentioned here. In some parts of our countty massaging the infants is a traditional
prauice which delights the infant. During this activity the m o t h usually sings songs to
the child, talks to her and plays with her. In all parts of India there is a rich variety of
mother-infant games. The infant's play in this context is very different from those who
live in another culture.
As children grow older, their play reflects the roles they will be expected to play in
adult life. These roles are in turn determined by culture. The theme of children's play
would also include the traditional festivals and customs specific to the society they
live in.
All cultures have a rich hexitage of toys. Excavations of cultures as old as the Indus
Valley Civilization have revealed tbe use of toys. Studies in our country have shown
tbat the play materials available to children vary from region to region. Orissa has
beautiful puppets and masks. Chennapalna in Karnataka and ~ondap$liin Andhra
Radesh produce wooden toys. In Tamil Nadu and Maharashm folk toys and
commercially produced toys exist side by side. As a contrast, in Manipur and Tripm
hardly any commercial toys are available. Here parents make toys at home for children.
In most parts of our country the celebmion of festivals is a time when a lot of folk
toys see available. These toys have educational value as do some commercially
produced toys.

5.7.4 Social Class

For children of lower social class who spend the major part of the day in assisting
parents in work, there is very little time set aside for play. They find time for play
amidst rheir work. Children from middle and high social class have more time for
leisure and play because they do not need to participate in income generating activities.
At the same time, there are children whose parenti put a great stress on academic
achievement and, consequently, curtail their play time.
Children like to collect stones, bottle caps, empty tins, etc. It is not uncommon to empty lmprtaye d play In
~evdodent
out a child's pocket and to find an assortment of such things. Sometimes a comer in the
house is used by ,the child to store pebbles and shells or other things she likes. An
expensive decorated doll or a shell gathered at the beach are equally atqactive to a
young child, whether rich or poor. Social class only makes a difference in the
availability of more expensive tays to children. Children who belong to economically
well-off families have access to play materials available in the market. When readymade
play material is not within the reach of a family, used tyres, rims of wheels, empty
boxes, lids of bottles, used match boxes, old newspapers, etc. are used for play. Children
in such situations may need to be more creative in developing the kinds of materials
they can use for play.
Social class may also determine the space available for play. Children whb live in big
houses with gardens may use this space for play. Other children who live in one room
dwellings will have to find play space in the streets, lanes and roads or parks.
You would recall that in a family from the lower social class all the adults are involved
in income generating activities. Parents have little time to participate in children's play
and guide it. Parents from middle and upper class are likely to spend more time with
children. Tbay are usually more educated and they may be more aware of the
importance of play in children's development. They may, therefore, ensure that children
get enough opportunities for play. However, education does not ensure an attitude which
is sensitive to the needs of the child. An uneducated parent can be equally sensitive to
the child's needs and provide play experiences.

5.7.5 Ecology and Setting

The city with its crowded living conditions offers little open space for play. But
children still manage to find space. You can see them playing in the narrow lanes, on
the roads alongside the traffic and on the terraces of houses. Playgrounds are very few
in number and wide open spaces are difficult to fmd. There are very few opportunities
to play in streams and ponds, climb trees or observe the plants growing in the fields.
Rural and tribal areas provide more open space for play and the children are closer to
nature.

5.7.6 Media
The print medii i.e. books and magazines, as well as the audio-visual media, i.e. radio
and teIevision, have a strong influence on children's play. There are many illustrated
books and magazines and there is a variety of programmes for children on radio and
televlsiuc. Children eagerly act out a story they have read, sing a tune heard on the
radio and enthusiastically watch the programmes on the television and imitate the
characters. The media often support the stereotypes of the society. These are reflected in
children's play. The media bring the world closer to children and provide them' with
infonnation. The vast amount of information that children get through the media can
p y useful if guided by adults.
The print and the audio-visual media differ greatly with regard to the type of stimulation
1,
they provide to children. Books require children to read and find out for themselves.
This process of learning requires active participation of children and thus fosters a spirit
of enquiry and curiosity. The television and radio programmes, on the other hand,
usually require children to sit passively, listen and watch. Generally, the programmes tell
them what they should know instead of allowing them an opportunity for discovery.
Thus the guidapce of adults becomes essential.

5.7.7 Quality of Experience

You have been reading how the age of the child, gender, ecology, culture, resources
available to the family and media determine the content of play, the time available for it
as well as the space and material used for play. However, a major factor that influences
the quality of children's play is the type of experiences they have in the family and
neighbourhood.'Tbe following two examples illustrate this point.
In one family belonging to the lower social class both the mother and the father leave
for work early in the morning and return in the evening. Every day, before leaving, the
 ~ t d u d o to
a CMId care mother massages the infant during which she talks to her and plays with her. The
a d Developnemt mother takes the child to her place of work. In the evening when both the parents return
from work the father plays with the child while the mother prepares the meal. In the
second situation an educated mother belonging to a rich family leaves the child in the
crib for most of the day with toys placed beside hex. She attends to her mostly to
provide physical care and rarely interacts with the child. It is possible that the infant
belonging to the first family has a better childhood. She has opportunities for learning
and for developing a sense of security.

Parents and caregivers who are aware of the importance of play activities for
chiidren can provide an environment conducive to play irrespective of economic
status, education or ecological setting.

Check Your Progress Exercise 4

Answer the following questions briefly in the space provided below.

1) List all the factors that influence play.

2) Observe the play of a two year old and a five year old and list two activities each
of the two children.
i) Activities of the two year old.

ii) Activities of the five y e . old

State why these activities are different.

5.8 SUMMING UP
In this Unit you have read about the importance of play for children. Though there is no
single definition of play, certain characteristics that can be seen in play activities of
1 children Lave been identified. We all agree that play for children is fun. Their
I
participation in it is spontaneous and active. Children fmd play satisfying in itself.
I
Play has an important role in children's development. It leads to discovery and learning,
fostersdhnagination and helps to develop social, emotional, physical and language skills.
Play is the best medium of learning for children because they ezjoy it. In play children
ham by doing and this also helps to retain their attention to one activity. During infancy
it is only through play that learning takes place.

The play activities of children h&e been classified in different ways. The 'various
classifications, as you have read, are outdoor and indoor play, free and structured play.
individual and group play, vigorous and quiet play, and sensorimotor and symbolic play.
All children play. However, 'the age, gender, social class, ecology, culture and media
influence the kind of play activities children choose. Play is also determined by the
space, time and materials available for play. A fd mpre impoltant than any.of the
ones mentioned above is the quality of experiences available to the child. A caregiver
who is aware of the importance of play activities for children can provide an
environment conducive to play hespective of her economic status. educational
background or ecological setting.

5.9 GLOSSARY
Denominations: The word means "a unit of measure." Here it means learning Ehe unit
of money and names of various units. For example, recognizing a 10 paise coin and
understanding bat ten 10 paise make a rupee.
Resentment: A deep sense of indignation, i.e. feelings of anger, fray, rage.

Vocalizatlom: Sounds produced using the voice. It includes crying, laughing, babbling
and talking.

5.10 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress Exercise 1

Check Your Progress Exerclse 2

Any two of the following are conrect;
1) Physical and motor development Running aud playing on the swing aid physical
and motor development. Playing in the sand and drawing shapes with stick fosters
fme motor skills.
Social development. Playing together as also learning to wait for their turn on tht
swing helps the children td learn to cooperate.
Cognitive development. While narrating the story. the child has to reqll it and
string the events logically in the right sequence. While counting the nllSnber of
times the swing goes back and forb, the child understands the concept of number.
Children who are drawing shapes in tbe sand are becoming familiar with different
shapes.
FhNional development. Shrieking and expending energy by chasing each other
could be helping the children in coping with their pent-up emotions at@ eneagies.
2) Play provides oppommities to exprpss feelings and emotions. It also allows the
freedom to express feeliigs that may not be allowed in otbea situations,
3) The caregiver can:
i) help the children understand Lbeir discoveries
ii) provide opportunities for discovery
iii) extend the discovery
iv) plan play activities
All this aids learning.
lnhd.etlaato(;blldCM Cbeck Your Progress Exerclse 3
1) a) abilities. developnnent
b) doing. fun
c) -s play. 6ree play
d) outdoor games, indoor games
e) individual, group
f) vigorous, quiet

Check Your Progress Ewrerdrc 4

- 1) 'Ibe fadots that influe~mplay are: age, geader, cultme, sochl claaq ecobsy,
quality of experience and media.
2) Tbe play activities of tbe two childrat will be different becam children of ditrmmt
ages have different and, therefore, chow acdvities qpmprb to their
abilities. Younger children have a shater atta~tioaspan so they would sped less
time on each activity.
 QUESTIONS TO HELP RECALL AND READING
Here are some quegtions which you sbould be able to answer after you bave read all tbe
Units of lhis Block 'Zhese'questions will guide your second reading of tbe Block and
will help yo9 aganize and iecall the infamation presented. Tbese questions m only
gaideliws. You do not bave to send t k answers to tbese questions to the counsellor or
to tbe university.
1
I
Q1. You have read about tbs- sociocultural factors tbat influence experiences during
I the period of childhood ' I R h gentler, social class. religion, ecology and
family s t m t m and relationships. Some of the above mentioned factors also
infhrerrce the play of children. Explain using examples how these factors influence
1 the M d ' s experience giving special reference to play.
Q2. Ldst tbe Merent ateas of development. Defm -any one of tbem. Explain using
cxampLts how beiedity and eavironment influen! development in this area
43. You know about the factors chat influence the experience of childhood. Try and
r e q k c t your own chiMhood Do you feel tbat tbese factors influeaced your
errpdences as a child? Did some factors have more h j x a than tbe others? Was
there any otber factor besides the ones mentioned in tbe text which had a bearing
o a ~ c h i l ~ ?
r
Q4. What do you understand by the tenn 'aitical periods'? Explain this concept using
e x a f q k fnrm two afeas of developmeat.
t
I
Q5. Explain the meaning of the- 'Preschool Education'. Is preschool education
I important f a a child? Give reasons for your answer.

I Q6. What is the 'need for p v i d i n g day cadcreche services?

I Q7. Yon have read that ow of tbe needs of children is stimulation. What do you
understand by the team 'stimulation'? How can this need be met in a day care
ceaa or a preschool?

QS. "Children learn thmugb play." Do you agree with tbis statement? Support your
answez with a few examples. How can the caregiver guide children's play?

Q9. Whar makes one child different from the &?

Tips for amwering the questions
Q1. Refa to Units 1 & 5. In Unit 1 you have read bow tbese fauors affect experience
of childbood. Play is an integral part of bildhood experiences. In Unit 5 you bave
read how social class, gender, ecology and culture influence play. Explain tbe
Mhmce of t h e factors on cbildbood experiences and along with eacb factor talk
about how it also influeaces play.

Q2. RcZa to Units 2 and 3. Unit 2 defines the various areas of development-
cqnitivc, language, axial, emotional, physical and mosot. Unit 3 explains the
teams heredity and eavinwrment and describes their influence on these areas of
ded,opment.Qloose any one area of development and write about it.

Q3. Unit 1 talks about the factors that inflwace the experiences of a child. Keep these
factam in mind while answering this question.
Q4. Refer to Unit 3 which explains the concept of aitical periods. Define the term
'critical periods'. Explain the role of mamation and learning in development
during a critical period. Choose any two q of development and show how
mamation and leaning inteaact to influence development during aitical periods.
QS. Refer to Unit 4. Give the defhtion of the term. Reschool education is important
since it fosters development in all areas and prepares the child for schooling.
Discuss aleng these lines.
Q6. Refer to Unit 4. Day care sexvices provide an altemtive arrangement for care of
young children when parents am not able to loo&afks the child.They also &I6
the older sibling to attend school. Expand the answet along tbese lines.
Q7. Refer to Units 4 and 5. Explain rbe meaning of the term ' s t i m w and describe
how it fosters developanent in all areas. In Unit 5 you have read that play provides
stimulation. Explain this using a few examples. Tbca discuss that in a day care
c e o ~ h o otbe l child's need for stimulation can be met by providing her
opportunities for play where the caregiver also guides her play. Rekr to Unit 9 to
explain the caregiver's role in guiding play.
Q8. Refer to Unit 5. Children do lean t . play. In Unit 5 you have tead that
through play childrea learn about animals, plants, colorns, shapes and sizes, i.e..
they leam about the worId amund them through play. They also acq* social
skills like learning to phy together d waiting for one's m.In addition play
helps them to leam language and acquire motor skills and promotes physical and
emotional development. Use examples in these areas to support your auswer.
1
i
Tbe caregiver can guide chiidren's play by
(1) providing oppoptunities f a dimvery
(2) helping c h i k n understaod dreir discoveries
(3) extending discoveries and
(4) planning app.opriate play activities.-lain your answer along these lines.
Q9. Refer to Units 1, 2 and 3. In Unit 1 you have read about the envhmamtal
i
factors, i.e., the sociocultural factors. that make the expxience of childhood a
i
different one for every child In Unit 3 you have read that ead~t3ib-J Merits a set 1
of genes 'from her parents, Pacb individual has a unique g d c mabop which i
makes her different hany orher person. 'lbusboth the g e m (km3ity) as well
i
as the child's experiences (en-ent) cause a child to be different Erom the
other. In Unit 2 you have read about rbe individual differeoces amongst children ,
despite similarities in their pattern of development. Expand your answer along
these lines giving examples.
FURTHER READING
The following are some books that you will find useful as reference for this Course.
This list of 'Further Readings' is meant for Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4. Some of these may be
available at your Study Centres. You are likely to find others in the library of a Home
Science College.
ANC- I, Block 3; 1991; Meal ~lanning;IGNOU.
Barclay, L.K; 1985; Infant Development; Holt Rinehart aod Winston, New York.
Craig, G.J; W ,Human Development; Rentice Hall Inc., N ~ WJersey.
filkind and Weiner; 1978; Development of the Child; John Wiley & Sons, Inc,
New York,
Ghosh, Shanti; 1989; You and Your Child; Voluntary Health Asmiation of India,
New Delhi.
Klaus, M.H. & P.H. Klaus; 1985: The Amazing Newborn; Addison-Wesley Publishing
Company Inc. USA.
Kuppuswamy, B; 1984; A Text Book of Child Behaviour and Development; Vani
Educational Books. New Delhi.
Mussen, P.B.; et al; 1990; Child Development; Harper and Row Publishers, New York.
National Institute of Public Co-operation and Child Development; 1988; New Delhi;
Growth Monitoring Manual.
Salkind, N.J. & S.R. Ambron; 1978; Child Development; Holt, Rinehart and Wenston,
Inc, New Yorki 1

Swarninathan, Mina; 1989; The First Three Years; UNESCO Principal Regional Office
for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok.
Swarninathan, Mina; Play Activities for Children; UNICEF,New Delhi.
NOTES