1. Presented by Mayra Rodriguez, Ed. S. School Psychologist

2. PLAY IS….. A child’s first language How a child safely explores the world A way of advancing cognitive development A mental support system that allows a child to think and act in new ways A way of dealing with emotions and resolving conflict Another step in identity development

3. PLAY IS... Used by children to control their own behavior (Maniulenko, 1975) An opportunity for children to adopt another’s role, increasing perspective A way of learning social skills and prosocial behavior A natural way to learn how to handle conflict and aggression PLAY IS A CHILD’S WORK!

4. STAGES OF PLAY…. Fantasy Play/ Socio-dramatic Play... (3 yrs.) -meanings of objects and actions are transformed to fit an imaginary situation with some type of plot Rule-governed Play…. (6 yrs.) -structured games with prearranged rules

5. STAGES OF PLAY…. Conventional Play…. (1 yr.) -use objects in ways that are used by adults (bang hammer on the floor, spoon in mouth) -investigate object before doing anything with it Symbolic Play... (18 mos. - 2 yrs.) -one object stands for another (small box as a car) Parallel Play…. (2 - 3 yrs.) -children play alongside each other, but are tuned in only to their own play; not connected

6. SOCIO-DRAMATIC PLAY... Make-believe play More social & self-conscious Social roles are enacted -favorite stories-TV shows -parental roles-authority/profession -imprecise imitation-drawn from familiar scenes Plot - driven Sex-role identification

7. OBSERVING PLAY... Provide clues regarding… - cognitive development -level of social skill -emotional conflict/affect -leader/follower preference -attention span/ impulse control -organized/ fragmented/ creative

8. TEACHING THROUGH PLAY Role play to resolve problem situations Puppetry for storytelling Fantasy/ symbolic play to illustrate academic concepts -science-social studies -language skills -math Development of leadership skills Rule-driven games to teach & reinforce learned material