Children And Play In The First Essay -- essays research papers

Childs PlayThe First Two Years of LifeIn the first two years of behavior range is both a reflection of and an influence on all areas of infant development intellectual, social, emotional and physical. Play is a central, allencompassing device characteristic of infant development, allowing children to learn about the world and themselves. Even during the first half-year of life infants really do work, even though the interpretation of what is play and what is exploration must first be established. The direction of this paper is to discuss three forms of play that occur during the first two years of life. The work of denim Piaget and other psychologists in supporting and developing these ideas is critical. The first of these is sensorimotor play which begins with the infants accidental discovery of an practise that is inherently satisfying, and consists of the continuos repetition of that activity for the sheer joy of doing so (Hughes, 1991). The second is play with objects inv olves the intentional handling of an object that leads to satisfaction from the handling. Finally symbolic play is the use of mental representation, in which one object represents another (Hughes, 1991).Exploration or Play?The differences between play and exploration can be difficult to assess. When infants are exploring their surroundings, they are usually cautious and serious. While examining an item during exploration an infant would smell, taste and perhaps rub the item against his/her cheek in a ritualistic manner. In play however, an infant would jump from one object to another without care, and play activities are completely devoid of the rigidity previously described.Finally, when children explore their entire attention is gaunt on the object begin explored. Their heart rates are steady, and they are unwilling to be interrupted. Yet, during play the childrens heart rate is variable and they are interrupted easily (Hughes, 1991). It should be easier to tell the difference b etween play and exploration using these behavioral differences as a guideline. Sensorimotor PlayThe first year of life consists of what Jean Piaget called sensorimotor play or practice play (Piaget, 1962), the repetition of already assimilated sensory or motor activities for the sheer frolic of doing so. Piaget suggests th... ... even more sophisticated, as children combine objects in play, use them appropriately, and begin incorporating them into symbolic play. Symbolic play is characterized by a serious of levels that suddenly step forward in the second year. Further development is seen as each level is symbolic play is explored. Decentration refers to the degree that a child is able to shift focus from self to external objects. Decontextualization refers to the use of one object as a substitute for another, and integration is the organization of play into complex patterns.ReferencesGarvey, C. (1990). Play. Cambridge Harvard University.Hughes, F. P. (1991). Children, play and d evelopment. Boston Allyn/Bacon.Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams, and artificial in childhood. New York Norton.Piaget, J. (1963). The origins of intelligence in children. New York Free Press.Rosenblatt, D. (1977). Developmental trends in infant play. In B. Tizard & D. Harvey (Eds.), The biology of play. Philadelphia Lippincott.Sheridan, M.D. (1977). Spontaneous play in primordial childhood from birth to six years. England NFER Publishing.