How Does Play Affect A Child's Development

The topic of my observation was children ages 2-5 and how they play. I’ve found through research and observation that play is affected by each child’s individual development. Play has norms and structures that most children follow, but these guidelines are moldable based on the circumstances encompassing each child’s development. In the PowerPoint slides from class, Berger (2014) states that development is multi-cultural, multi-directional, multi-contextual, and plastic. Style of attachment, ethnic background, rate of maturation, context of education, and parenting style are some of the thousands of variables that affect development and therefore affect how children play. A woman by the name of Mildred Parten, Anderson, G., & Robinson, Clyde …show more content…
Sociodramatic play, on the other hand, involves role play and fantasy, requiring children to use their imaginations to create a story. Make-believe type play can only be accomplished when children reach what Berger (2014) describes as Piaget’s Preoperational Stage in Development where symbolic thought and animism are understood. Stages of play and active play are normal behaviors to expect when observing children. Another behavior to expect from this age group related to play are tantrums. According to Hoffman (2000), despite popular belief, throwing a fit isn’t so much misbehavior as it is an explosion of emotions that children are not yet able to regulate, commonly brought on by unmet needs and stresses. Since children are being exposed to new stimuli when involved in play, it brings on many forms emotions that overload and cause tantrums. I expect to see the themes of the above described behaviors in my observations with variations caused by developmental …show more content…
(2000). Sequential Bridging in the Natural Play of Preschool Children: Examining the Role of Parallel Play, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
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