HDFS 230 1st Edition Lecture 15- What is playo Most productive and enjoyable activity for childreno Play is universal Archeologists find toys over 1000 years-old Play found in every part of the worldo Forms of play change with age and culture Increasingly complex social play to: brain maturation + social play practice Learn how to make and keep friendso Peer Sociability Milestones of Play1. Solitary play: Child plays alone, unaware of children playing nearby.2. Onlooker play: Child watches other children play.3. Parallel play: Children play with similar toys in similar ways but not together.4. Associative play: Children interact, but their play is not yet mutual and reciprocal.5. Cooperative play: Children play together, creating and elaborating a joint activity or taking turns.o Cognitive Play Categories Functional play: Simple, repetitive movements, with or withoutobjects Constructive play: Creating or constructing something Make believe/ pretend play: Acting out everyday and imaginative roleso Pretend play: Active vs. Dramatic Rough and tumble- Mimics aggression with no intents to harm- Ex: Wrestling, chasing, or hitting Sociodramatic play- Acting out various roles and themes in stories that they createo Value of pretend play Self-awareness and perspective taking Gain in social and language skills Improve attention, memory, and logical reasoning Strengthen imagination and creativity Practice adult roles Allows child a sense of control Furthers understanding of social norms Offers adults insights into children’s thoughts- Preschooler’s Tasks and Goalso Developmental task (Erikson): Initiative vs. Guilt The play age Goal: learning to take initiative in activities and cooperate with others If unresolved: guilt about initiatives not being met with approval- Gender Segregated playo Gender segregates play is firmly entrenched by elementary schoolo Differences Girls- Calm, more subdued play- Nurturing themes- Play collaborative; relate one-on-one Boys- Rambunctious play- Superhero, warrior themes- Dominance and competition- Rigid gender-specific rules for playo What causes gender stereotyped play? Biological underpinning- Role of testosterone Socialization of gender specific behaviors- Traditional gender roles Impact if cognitions- Gender-schema theory- Fostering Emergent Literacyo Spoken Language skills Adult conversationso Informal literacy experiences Interactive reading Games Writingo Training bookso Preschoolers enjoy books that have lots of repetition, pictures, and action Stories about children Informational stories Skills ABC’s Repetition Rhyming Funny sounds Predictable plots Pictures that tell story 5-10 minutes in