Play in the Early Years

Kay Owen

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781529758634
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Éducation de la petite enfance

Play in the Early Years provides an accessible overview of key concepts, debates and approaches to children's Play. This book:

· Considers play from a variety of perspectives

· Offers expert insights into theory and research in each area

· Encourages the reader to critically reflect on both theory and practice

With features including key terms, case studies, reflective questions, spotlights on research and an accompanying glossary, this text is perfect for everyone who is interested in Play - from those just starting undergraduate degrees through to those with more advanced knowledge or experience.

1 The Changing Face of Play

Kay Owen

Contents

• Key terms, 10
• Introduction, 10
• Historic perspectives on play, 11
• The current position: Some factors to consider, 17
• The development of play behaviours, 20
• Final reflection, 24
• Key points, 24
• Questions to consider, 24
• Further reading, 25
• References, 25

This chapter is all about changes – how attitudes towards play have changed over the years and how children's play behaviours change as the child develops. The background it provides should help you to contextualise the information provided in later chapters.

This Chapter Will…

• Explain some historic perspectives on children's play
• Introduce some important figures who have contributed to thinking about play
• Explain how play behaviours change as children develop
• Introduce some of the different types of play children engage in
• Help you to start to consider the role and impact of adults.

Key Terms

play behaviours, taxonomy, zone of proximal development

Introduction

The young of every species are vulnerable and need the time and opportunity to prepare for the responsibilities of adulthood. In the majority of vertebrates, including humans, much of early life is given over to a mixture of independent and adult-guided play activities, with the play becoming increasingly complex as the individual develops. Across species, the most common play behaviours support physical development, whilst also introducing activities and behaviours that will be useful in adult life. Play therefore allows the young to explore the environment, discover their body's capabilities and try out new behaviours without undue risk or cost. Given that anything without purpose usually dies out during the evolutionary process, the prevalence of play amongst multiple species has led to claims that it must serve a vital function (Auerbach, Kanarek & Burghardt, 2015). This belief led the evolutionary biologist Karl Groos to propose: ‘The animal does not play because he is young, he has a period of youth because he must play’ (Groos, 1898: xviii). Our understanding of the role, importance and structure of play has been shaped over the years by the work of researchers and theorists. Some of the most notable and influential theorists are considered next, together with some basic contextual information about the time when they were alive and working.

Historic Perspectives on Play

1700–1910 key theorists: Froebel, Groos, Curtis, Spencer

Prior to the mid-1700s, children in Britain were raised predominantly in extended family groups located in rural communities. This pattern remained true for much of Western Europe and the United States until the 1800s. From an early age, children were encouraged to help with chores, meaning that any play activities were centred on these tasks and the materials they required. As the Industrial Revolution spread from Britain across Western Europe to North America and then to Eastern Europe and Asia, it increased urbanisation, fragmented the family and increased the chasm between rich and poor. As a result of this, the experiences of childhood and the opportunities to play began to differ more sharply from child to child. Whilst moneyed children had an option on play and education, working-class children faced greater constrictions, often working long hours with limited opportunities for free expression. In Britain in the early 19th century, the average age to start work was 10 years old. Whilst some adults regarded this as necessary to ensure family financial stability, the tide gradually turned due to campaigners such as Richard Oastler (1830) and Lord Shaftsbury (1842).

Attitudes towards play

During this period, adult perceptions regarding the necessity of play were also quite polarised, often reflecting their own social standing, philosophy or political beliefs. Thus, whilst idealists such as Froebel (1782–1852) believed play to be the highest expression of human development in childhood, others regarded play's only value as being an outlet for children's excessive energy. This idea was formalised and popularised by Curtis (1916) in the surplus energy theory and found favour amongst early psychologists such as Herbert Spencer (1872). Advocates of play, including Groos (1861–1946) and Erikson (1903–94), decisively refuted it, proposing instead that play developed skills and allowed children to practise social situations in preparation for adult life. Groos (1901) and Isaacs (1885–1948) further postulated that play was ‘critical’ in shaping social, emotional and cognitive development. These notions were to influence and shape both Piaget's (1962) and Vygotsky's (1967) later seminal theories, and are discussed in more detail in Chapter 2.

The concept of early learning was relatively unexplored prior to this point but the late 1800s and early 1900s saw the emergence of a few influential pioneers who brought the topic to the forefront. Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), Maria Montessori (1869–1952) and Margaret Macmillan (1860–1931) all presented a blueprint for early learning, shaped round their own notions of how children learn through play.

Time to Consider

In what ways were attitudes towards play shaped by what was happening in society at the time? To what extent do you think current attitudes towards play reflect modern society?

1920–1970 key theorists: Parten, Isaacs, Piaget, Smilansky

Interest in children's Pretend play emerged in the 1920s when Parten conducted her innovative observational research with preschool children. Initially, her findings were included in academic writings about child development, leading Isaacs (1929: 210) to propose that ‘play is indeed the child's work, and the means by which he grows and develops'.

Parten (1932) subsequently produced a Ta...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• About the Editor and Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: The Problem with Play
• 1 The Changing Face of Play
• 2 The Role of Play in Child Development
• 3 Understanding Children's Play Behaviours
• 4 Play in the Great Outdoors
• 5 Digital Play in Early Childhood
• 6 Play and Gender
• 7 What are we playing at?
• 8 Children's Right to Play
• 9 Learning and Play: Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment
• 10 A Historical View of Anthropological, International and Intercultural Perspectives
• 11 Autism and Play
• Conclusion: The Real Problem with Play
• Glossary
• Index