Flashback
Tell me about your favorite
game when you were
growing up.
What is play?
The New Oxford Dictionary defines PLAY:
To engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation
rather than a serious or practical purpose
Amuse oneself by engaging in imaginative
pretense
So how do children define
play?
Children consider an activity as play when they
choose it.
If an adult assigns the same activity to the child,
it becomes work.
(King, 1992)
Play in Middle Childhood
Includes:
Practice play
Pretense
Games with rules
Construction play
Play in Middle Childhood
Play is a constantly evolving process. In middle
childhood, the process of play involves
Props becoming smaller
Episodes of play are longer
Language is more complex
Themes are more consistent
Physical ability is more refined
Script Theory
A form of collaborative play in which children
alternate between negotiating the play scenarios
and entering into the activities.
They become the characters they create or
pretend to be a character they see on television
The Value of Middle
Childhood Play
Four key components
Social and emotional competence
Affiliation
Cognitive development
Imagination and creativity
Social and Emotional
Competence
During play, children are learning how to exert selfcontrol, self-direct and negotiate with others.
Through learning these characteristics builds confidence
in pushing back immediate gratification and collaborating
with others.
Affiliation
Entering a play situation is a skill of negotiation.
It requires practice to seamlessly enter a play
situation.
If a child lacks this skill, they may become a
“loner child” and will stand and observe.
These children may find ways to meet affiliation
needs by resorting to violence or bullying.
Cognitive Development
Children use their brains when they are coming up with
rules for games or or when planning a script for free play.
Use of construction play helps to develop visual-spatial
imagery, used later in science and mathematics.
Outdoor activities improve hand-eye coordination.
Play helps to develop a child’s sense of humor as well.
Imagination and Creativity
Children invent scenarios using miniature
animals, action figures, etc.
They use themes from their own experiences
Playing school
Cops and robbers
They seek privacy from adults, using tree
houses or basements while exploring new
roles in play.
Research has shown that children who have
opportunities to use their imagination are
better able to deal with real-life tasks later in
life.
Contemporary Middle
Childhood Play
Play for children has changed since we were
young.
Today, technology based games, restriction of
play spaces and loss of free time brings
challenges to free, active play.
Technology
Interactive video games are
sometimes so engaging that
children do not participate in
activities that will build social
skills.
Instant messaging – deepening
digital literacy
Digital music, virtual musical
instruments (Guitar Hero), etc.
Gender specific games – Barbie
Girls, virtual action games –
reinforce stereotypes.
Spaces for Play
Due to changes in the environmental safety,
parents are more and more reluctant to allow
their child to wonder the neighborhood.
This could be caused by the media showing
dangerous situations every day.
Time for Free Play
Academic pressures cause administrators to
either reduce or eliminate recess.
Research shows that recess actually shows
improvement in academics – attention is held
longer.
Adults’ ignorance has reduced free play time in
school and in the home environment.
Adult Facilitation of Play
Middle childhood play is very valuable
to the realms of development
Adults must take responsibility and
find ways to ensure that children will
have plenty of opportunities to play.
How can we, as educators do just
that?
Adult Facilitation
Providing play resources
Children are naturally creative. Provide plenty of
space and materials, both in and outdoor.
Provide materials that can have more than one use.
The children will be able to use their imagination to
create something new.
Adult Facilitation
Engaging in play interaction
Providing children choices can help them build
trust and find ways to cope with physical problem
solving
This can also help them build relationships with
peers through play.
Adult Facilitation
Assessing play competence
Teachers can make play suggestion for the
children. Most children will follow them.
Children who do their own thing are not doing
anything wrong!
Observe the child; it relates to the development of
their imagination.
Adult Facilitation
Supporting gender equity
Provide toys and materials that are not gender
specific.
Teachers should encourage their students to
expect more from themselves.
Bringing it Home…
How will you foster the development of imagination
in a child?
Parents and teachers must realize how important
play was to their own development!
Reference
Bergen, D., & Fromberg, D. P. (2009). Play and
social interaction in middle childhood. Phi Delta
Kappan, 90(6), 426-430.