Play Many theories have been developed in an attempt to explain the value of play for the individual child and for society. Piaget 1962 was very influential in determining how we consider play in the modern era. He proposed that play develops alongside a child’s cognitive development in various ways.

Mastery Play Play that allows the child to develop muscle control in order to feel a sense of control over the physical environment. In this context, play can be viewed as helping in the physical development of children. From an early age the child needs to make an impact on its environment and early play is often physical, concerned with sensory or motor co-ordination.

Symbolic Play Occurs in the second stage, involving the child in make- believe and pretend play. This can also involve mimicry, were the child attempts to make sense of their world by taking on the role of others. This can be called ‘role rehearsal’. e.g. mummies and daddies. When adults ‘play’, they tend to want to escape from the real world and forget the stresses of life, but children use play to ‘master their world’.

Rule-bound Play As the child develops cognitively, it engages in activities whereby the child learns to develop structured activities from which they can experience more enjoyment from competition and achievement. In children's rules there are no pre-set rules. Each play situation starts afresh or spontaneously, with children making up their own rules, modifying them and also officiating themselves. This encourages decision- making and independence. Agreement, negotiation and compromise are vital social skills that are important to society.

Characteristics of Play Play is… SpontaneousIntrinsic Creative and expressive Self-initiated and Self-regulated Non-seriousSocialLiberatingHealthyVoluntary

Although children experience a lot of freedom in play, there are necessarily some restrictions they face, particularly regarding safety. Adults will usually impose defined space boundaries, which they must abide by, as well as occasional time limits such as teatime, break-time and so on. Sharing equipment and space such as a playground or garden, can also be a constraint to children at play.