Why is play important in a child’s life? The importance of play Why is play important in a child’s life?

Play Play is essential for children to develop . It is the way children learn about themselves and their world around them, and can benefit them in later life Children learn through different experiences Play can be spontaneous play or structured play

Play Develops their Physical development Social & emotional development Intellectual development Language and communication skills Questioning skills Creative skills Understand the world around them

A child needs to play To develop an enquiring mind To understand attitudes towards the natural world and tackle experiences To acquire manipulative skills, spatial awareness, fine and gross motor skills To encourage them to express themselves, socialise and cope with emotions To form a sound foundation on which to build

What types of play are there?

Exploratory play

Exploratory play Young children will observe their surroundings and babies will put things in their mouths to explore the world around them Older children like to ask questions and think for themselves and experiment

Solitary play

Solitary Play Babies and young children will play alone There is no interaction with each other This is an important stage and all children go through it

Parallel play

Parallel play Children play side by side but play separately with little interaction from each other There is no talking to each other about what they are doing They might ask each other for a piece of equipment

Co-operative play

Co-operative play Children are able to play together. They adopt a role within the group and take account of others’ needs and actions Play becomes more complex and simple rules are understood Playing board games are important Children are given more choices and responsibilities

Imaginative play

Imaginative play Children use their fantasy idea to play out their ideas (challenge stereotypes) Role play (social play) is very important both indoors & outdoors Having a good area is important and changing it regularly (consider multicultural resources) Ensure children feel private but can be observed by an adult

Creative play

Creative play This also uses their imagination but can involve craft material 2D and 3D models making Music

Manipulative play

Manipulative play This focuses on small world play Small equipment is used to help children develop fine motor skills

Play Play can be broken down in many different ways. All these areas can be done outside and understanding their world around them is important If children are not allowed to play and explore then their development will be hindered The wrong sort of play is also detrimental to children

DVD Now watch the video of Bandura Bobo experiment It was done in 1965 It shows how children can learn by watching adults Children learn by imitating an adult rather than being shown or taught