The stage of Piaget’s theory of childhood cognitive development that Mollie and her friends are in is the ‘preoperational stage.’ The preoperational stage consists of children from the ages of 2 to 7 years old. At this stage, the child is able to talk and communicate and can also think in symbols and images. They have a good imagination but are unable to manipulate information given to them. They have egocentric thought, meaning that they cannot think from another person’s point of view. “The child is incapable of assuming another person's point of view and they believe that everyone else perceives the environment in the same way they do” (Asokan, Surendran, Asokan, & Nuvvula, 2014, p.1). They partake in animistic thinking, which …show more content…
The aim of the article is to shed light on the benefits of rough play and how it actually helps the development of children. Rough play can “teach children how to manage their own emotions and read the feelings of others, making them more likable,” (Deardorff, 2011) and more adaptable to social situations. It can teach them that bigger people need to hold back and it can teach them to be more sensitive to other people’s emotions or feelings, making them more adaptable to society and other people, also teaching them empathy.
Rough play between parent and child can increase the levels of trust and confidence the child has in the parent and it can strengthen the bond. There are also physical benefits to rough play as it can be psychically challenging and can keep the child up on their feet, moving and exercising.
Deardorff also expresses the importance of having a safe word. If things get out of hand and either the parent or the child is uncomfortable, there needs to be a safe word to stop the play and regain their footing. The findings of this article is that play is an important part a child’s development as it not only helps them physically, but it helps them mentally, socially and and emotionally as