In this narrative I will introduce my personal definition of play, but acknowledge that play is basically indefinable because it is so vast and variable. I seek free flow play and the obstacles to play, and the purpose and value of play. I seek one small group of students working definition of play as a developmental tool that helps children originate holistically and other aspects of our definition, ie a developmental journey, play being accessible to all, and the aspect of fun and enjoyment in play. Alongside this, this narrative examines structured and unstructured play, including theorists views and I comprise some of my own observations and seek the play article in them.
Before I increase on group's definition of play, I would like to state my own theory about play, and illustrate what I mean stressing again, that play is basically indefinable because of its flexible and vast nature.
My theory is that play is fluid. It can take many forms, have many meanings, express itself in many ways, but it cannot be contained in a box or shape and labelled as 'play'. If play is taken out of one context and into another it changes its shape and purpose, and the way it moves and performs. All of it is play in its many facets, and all of it is of equal value, because it meets the differing needs of the child at the time it is being played.
Play is fluid so therefore cannot be defined purely as one aspect or another, and as water is fluid, so is play - it changes its shape to its environment, circumstances and players, taking on dissimilar forms, expressions and meanings to the players concerned. It has intrinsic meaning to the children and may change direction at any moment, agreeing to the children's needs and personality etc. Bruce verifies that play is like fluid and free-flowing,
She stated: "the whole point about play is that it cannot be pinned down. It flows. It is on the move." (Bruce 2004:154)
Free-flowing play can be dinky by obstacles such as time, adults, relationships, routines, outcomes, interferences, circumstances, environment, or disability, and may not flow in the natural direction a child may wish to take it if dinky by any of the above obstacles. However, because play is fluid, it can continue where it was left, or be restarted and flow in entirely dissimilar direction if obstacles do not restrict play.
Props may be used during free flow play which then takes on a symbolic characteristic, and children may engage in role play or socio-dramatic, plus rough and tumble, all rolled up into one, manufacture it difficult to untangle and define! Children do not need adults to direct free-flow or fluid play, only to keep them safe from harming themselves or harming others. This may be viewed as an obstacle by children (and so it is) but as long as adults are not being 'over-protective' or 'over-restrictive' and children understand the need for security rules (they tend to like rules in play anyway!) then the
obstacle or interruption is only a temporary obstacle, that children can overcome and move one, because their play is flexible and fluid.
The purpose or value of play, as mentioned is intrinsic to the child and players and appears to be part of children's developmental journey. Bruce (2004:149) describes play as a process with no sufficient end. Play helps children originate in a holistic way, developing their public interactions, language skills, co-operation, insight of how the world works, and personal, public and emotional development. Play is a tool that brings knowledge and experiences together. Vygotsky viewed play as a vehicle (or tool) for public interaction. Bruner believed roleplay was a vehicle (or tool) for studying about society's rules and conventions. Piaget believed play unifies children's experiences, knowledge and experience. Frobel, Steiner, and Issacs were the biggest advocates of holistic development. Frobel believed studying and improvement is holistic, absorbing the child, other adults and the environment, and that childhood is a stage in it's own right. Steiner based his theory on Frobels and advanced a programme involving
play. Issacs believed play was central to the allembracing improvement of the child.
Play is as an leading of children's developmental journey - it becomes a tool by which children learn to originate in a holistic manner, it enables them to understand themselves, other people, their society and the world nearby them. Play also enables children to act out experiences, past and present, and enter into fantasy worlds. Bruner believed that play is process-led rather than task orientated, but also believed it prepares children for adulthood. (Fisher 1996:97) We are all on a lifelong journey and the journey, and the journey for me may be dissimilar to your journey. We may start at the same place, but go in dissimilar directions, and we may meet again but be dissimilar people, because life (and play, as part of that process) shapes the habitancy and character we become. The journey of developing and studying is a long, slow, and ongoing process throughout life - a developmental journey which starts at birth and finishes at death, and play in its many fluid forms, becomes part of the process.
If play is structured, directed or initiated by adults, play takes on a dissimilar role. If play has a goal, target or outcome for a child to achieve, often children do not view this type of play as play, but as work.... They view
work as teacher-directed and play as choice, sitting down as working, and being active as playing (Wood & Attfield, 2005:17). However, a divide between play and work cannot beyond doubt be made. Children learn in and straight through play, whether it is teacher initiated or child initiated. Frobel, Steiner, Issacs, Piaget believed play should not be directed. Miss Boyce believed in a mixed approach, including free flow play and a more structured timetable for teacher-directed sessions. Montessori, demonstrated skills to children and did not believe in freeplay. Brunner saw play as a process but also believed adults need to scaffold children's experiences in order to help them develop to the next stage, as did Vygotsky, who advocated adults working alongside children to build on / scaffold their insight to move them onto the next stage. McMillian also believed in a structured environment that was planned to hold children's needs, and which integrated subjects such as maths, science and literacy.
Whether play is adult led or child led, children will learn many skills straight through play such as; co-operation, negotiation, other people's views, public skills, language skills, fine and gross motor skills may improve and other skills may
be mastered, reasoning and cognitive skills are used and improved, so therefore children will learn straight through play whether there is an intended outcome or not! My own observations of children's play confirmed this. Children learned straight through many dissimilar types of play, structured and unstructured. Structured play helped children originate more in the cognitive realm whereas unstructured play helped children originate more in the creative, language, bodily and personal/social realm.
If they do meet the outcomes (which they should do if the resources, processes and intensions are aimed at the right level...) then this is an added bonus! If planned and resourced correctly by practitioners, play can help children meet targets within the Foundation Stage or Key stage 1, surface all aspects of the curriculum from Personal, public and emotional improvement straight through to creative development.
Adults can improve the ability of children's play by providing a rich collection of resources, and well planned structured play, indoors and out, needs sensitive scaffolding for children to develop or learn new skills and knowledge. Adults also need to provide abundance of free flow play, and time
to perfect tasks. If adults aim to intervene as dinky as potential in free play, this will provide a good outcome for children.
In structured play the teacher/adult has used play as a 'tool' (others call it a vehicle or medium) but may not be viewed as play in its purest form. Play cannot be categorized into 'play' or 'not play' (because play is fluid and takes many forms) but may be good defined as 'more pure play' or 'less pure play'' (Wood & Attfield 2005:4-5) Wood and Attfield supplementary define pure play as unstructured, active, fun, a process, pretend, child invented and child-choosen. Linden states, "Circumstances can preclude or restrict play. Constraints may be located by adults or the environment limits children's experiences. Alternatively, developmental problems, disability or illness can shape the possibilities for children." Play may be hampered (children may have obstacles to play) if they have any form of disability or cultural, language, public or economic differences. Children (like adults) tend to be exclusive, uncertain about things or habitancy they don't understand or are not like them, unless they are informed/educated that all children have an equal right to play and should be granted passage and opportunities to play.
Children need adults to be good role models demonstrating equality by provision and adaptability to children's needs. Children need adults to provide dissimilar types of play or dissimilar ways of playing, so that children can passage it. Some children may need more adult hold to passage play, especially if there is some form of disability or involved needs. These children may passage play differently, but all children have the same right to originate in a holistic way that all children do. All children need the 'tool' of play for their own development; because play is fluid, the way the tool is used may be different.
I observed a young boy (of about 8 years old) and other children aged between 6-10 years in a public club setting. All the children, except the dinky boy of 8, were engaged in locomotive play. They were chasing, tickling, rolling, dancing etc throughout the night, generally in small groups of children. The play looked chaotic but was not out of place in the setting. The adults observed this play and did not intervene. The children appeared
to have no purpose or intension but to enjoy themselves, and the value to them was in participating in the fun, manufacture up games and dances, enjoying public activities together and passing time in an enjoyable way.
The other dinky boy of 8 however, did not join in any of the play, he merely acknowledged the other children. Instead of playing with the other children, this dinky boy stood in front of the band that was performing, and appeared to be conducting them (using a toy), virtually all night. He was engrossed in his play/work. Later on when the band had a break, he circled nearby the
hall floor, (walking on his toes) manufacture 'car-like' movements. At this point the boy may have been involved in role play. However, his first play was very difficult to understand (possibly role play or practice play?) This dinky boy appeared to have extra needs along the line of Asperger's syndrome (noted from old study and personal experience) I suspected Asperger's syndrome because he did not present with the other children, experience them, play alongside them, or join in their play. When they came near him once during locomotive play, he illustrated repelled / moved himself clearly out of their way. He couldn't or didn't passage any type of social, co-operative or
parallel play, but favorite his own solitary operation and the type of play he engaged in was repetitive. Although his play didn't make sense to me, it was meaningful to him. He appeared to believe he was truly directing the band (though they ignored him and continued their performance) any way he was engrossed in roleplay or practice play and appeared to enjoy what he was doing. His play was intrinsically critical to him and he had as much right to play in this way as the other children had to play in their way. Linden Stated "Play stems from children's own perception of the world and how it works... Play is a very personal, creative activity... Within children's understanding, their play is meaningful in it connection to non-play reality. (2000:43).
I also observed other types of play in other settings with younger children. The type of play I observed included socio-dramatic (2-3 year olds involved in playing with dolls, prams and accessories, going shopping etc); exploratory play (2-3 year olds exploring playdough and cutters, moulding, shaping, cutting etc); creative play - free painting, mixing paints, manufacture patterns and pictures and epistemic play (2-6 year olds involved in table top games,
including sounds game, snakes & ladders and alphabet jigsaw). The studying processes during these observations was vast, from public skills, co-operation and concentration to language skills, bodily skills, fine motor skills, mathematic skills, creative skills to cognitive skills, being used, extended and enhanced in play to the advantage of the child/ren concerned.
Play however, is not just a tool that enables development, play in itself is fun and has value in itself. Play is as critical to the child as work is to adults. Fisher (96:103) stated "Play has its own intrinsic rewards, it is done easily and voluntary and it is fully enjoyable." If play is self-chosen, self-motivated and directed, then it can only be enjoyable. Theorists such as Lazarus and Garvey hold this view; beyond doubt children would not engage in play so facilely if it were not so! Linden (2001:44) stated, "children play for play's sake. The operation is an end in itself and is not undertaken for an end product."
Conclusion
In this narrative I have stated my theory of play as being fluid, and other aspects or definitions of play and its value in children's development. Included in this are some theorist's views of play, and observations of children's play and what they are gaining from it, noting however, that defining play in all its elements, is very difficult! Play has many facets and functions it is impossible for one or two statements to adequately state what play is or does and many theorists hold differing views, reflecting this difficulty.
Play has become a tool in the Early Years sector and schooling and it is key to insight how children think and feel. It has become clearer to me that play is crucial to children's public and emotional development, and other aspects such as language skills, cognitive skills and insight the world in which they live. It has also become clearer to me that the least amount of time adults intervene in children's play, the better! (Though of course there is a time when structured play is appropriate). Play is enjoyable and motivating and a tool that develops children holistically and plays is fluid in that it fulfils many dissimilar roles that aids children in their developmental journey.
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