ED5013 - Early Childhood Issues: Critical Conversation with Exhibit

This essay presents a fictional conversation between a student and the John Hassall, Nursery Frieze museum exhibit at the V&A Museum of Childhood, critically analyzing issues and controversies in early childhood development. The conversation addresses the loss of playtime in modern children due to technological advancements and societal changes. It explores the historical context of children's play in the early 20th century, comparing it to contemporary experiences. The dialogue covers the impact of reduced playtime on children's physical and mental health, the evolution of learning activities, and the role of creativity in child development. The essay integrates theoretical perspectives and considers personal, cultural, political, economic, and educational aspects of early childhood development.

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
Early childhood development is one of the necessary matters that help in the overall
development of the child (Black et al. 2017). The early childhood development generally refers
to the various comprehensive approaches that are applied to the policies and the programs for the
children ranging from their birth years to the time when their age is around eight years (Hunt
2016). These policies and programs also include the factors that might involve the caregivers and
the parents of the concerned child. The early childhood development of the child might deal with
the emotional, the physical and the social developments of the child (Britto et al. 2017). The
development of the child in the afore-mentioned fields might affect the overall development of
the concerned child as well as the person that they might grow up into in the future.
The play activities of the child help in relieving the stress of the concerned child as well
as the concerned parent or the caregiver who is present in the vicinity of the child or has been
attending to the child. The playful activities of the children might help in the development of the
imaginative brains of the children as well as the dexterity of the concerned child (Bredekamp
2016). The play activities might also help in the development of the cognitive, emotional and the
physical strengths of the concerned child. The playful activities of the children might help the
improvement in the creativity of the concerned child. This might in turn tend to help the child in
his or her future life to come as well as improve the brain capacity of the concerned child and the
imagination capability of the concerned child (Harms, Clifford and Cryer 2014). The following
composition depicts an imaginary conversation with a museum exhibit on the various matters
that pertain to the issues related to the play activities that are undertaken by the concerned child.
The specific museum exhibit that is considered in this case is the John Hassall, Nursery
Frieze. The exhibit is found in the V&A Museum of Childhood located in Bethnal Green,
London (Vam.ac.uk 2018). The John Hassall, Nursery Frieze is a famous painting that had been

2EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
created by one of the famous poster artists of the early years of the twentieth century, John
Hassall. The artist is considered to be one of the artists who have contributed to the various
periodicals that have existed in the era. The artist is also known to have illustrated the esteemed
newspaper of London, the London News (Hardie and Sabin 2016). The exhibit in this case, the
John Hassall, Nursery Frieze, is a part of the six original designs that were used for the nursery
friezes that is a part of the collection entitled Children’s Toys. These works were originally
composed in the year1900 and were commissioned to b e printed as lithographs that could be
fixed to the walls in the rooms of the rooms that were designated for children (Vam.ac.uk 2018).
The following assignment attempts a fictional conversation between the concerned exhibit the
John Hassall, Nursery Frieze and a student on the issues that revolve around the playing and the
creativity that the concerned children might display in their early years.
Topic: Loss of Playtime in children due to advancement in the surroundings
Student: The children in the modern world do seem to have lost their childhood
due to the huge advancement in the technology, do you not think so?
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
I do agree to the point that you just made. The rise in the technological
matters and the urge to be in a competition with the peers of the child has
actually led to the loss of the childhood of the concerned children
(Roskos 2017). I would like to add to the fact that the change in the
surroundings have also led to the conditions wherein the children have
lost the areas where they could play (Griffiths 2013). What is your
opinion on that?

3EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
Student: Yes, I agree to the point that you did put forth. The modernization of the
society and the urbanization of the areas have actually led to the shortage
of play areas for the children (Denboba et al. 2014). The other factor that
has actually led to the loss of the childhood in the children of the modern
age is the fact that the children in the given age do have to deal with a
huge amount of stress in comparison to their older generations (Frongillo
et al. 2014). The huge amount of stress and the children have these days
have led to curbing of their playtime and their creativity that they might
have depicted in their early years. Do you not think so?
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
Yes, that also seems agreeable to me. In the modern times the children
are often found to be seated in front of the computers and other such
gadgets and playing on those gadgets. They do not seem to be engaged in
the matters except for a few outdoor games. It might be said that this has
led to the deterioration of the physical health of the concerned children
and has even led to the development of a number of problems in their
health (Blair, Raver and Berry 2014). The children in the modern era are
found to be intelligent and sharp enough in the fields of mental games or
in the games that might simulate certain real-life situations as part of the
gameplay. However, I would like to opine that the children during our
times, the early twentieth century were more competent in the outdoor
games and were healthier than their next generation who have been borne
in the twenty-first century (Cunningham 2014). What is your take on
that?

4EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
Student: You might be right in your own opinion. I would like to have an insight
into the matters that were related to the creativity and the play activities
that the children of the early nineteenth century engaged themselves in. I
would also like to have a knowledge on the issues that were related to the
various play activities that the children engaged themselves in. I am
really inquisitive about the various matters that might have been the
reason behind the matters that pertain to the change in the perspective of
the concerned children as well as their care-givers and parents. The other
matters that do interest me are the ways in which the concerned child
perspective might have changed in the matters that are related to the play
activities and the impact of the activities on the overall development of
the children on the same. The issues that are posed by the technological
advancement in the various matters that pertain to the playful activities of
the children and the matters that deal with the education of the concerned
children. I would also like you to throw some comparative light on the
matters that pertain to the learning activities of the children in the modern
era. I would like to know the ways in which the activities have changed
over time in the matters that pertain to the learning activities of the
children in the matters related to the play and the creative activities of the
children. Could you please help me learn about the ways in which the
literacy and the language of the children have changed over the past
century owing to the matters that pertain to the creativity and the play
activities that the child might be involved in during his or her childhood

5EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
days.
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
A long list of questions seems to perturb you. Yes, I would like to help
you with all the matters that you are inquisitive about. I can certainly help
you with the matters that pertain to the various matters regarding the
childhood that was enjoyed by the various children who enjoyed their
childhood in the early twentieth century (Lascarides and Hinitz 2013).
Would you like to co-operate with me in resolving your issues that have
been arising within your mind while you had been going around in this
museum that showcases the various paintings and other artifacts that
were used in the earlier days by the children?
Student: The first and foremost thing that seem to perturb my peace are the issues
that might have been related to the playful activities in the children. I
wonder whether the children did have access to all the various play
activities that existed in the early twentieth century. Did all of them have
access to the time that was needed for being engaged in play or were they
always busy with their educational activities? I wonder whether the
concerned caregivers of the children find enough time to get engaged
with the play activities of the children. The experts in the matters
pertaining to the overall development of the children do put forth the fact
that the children up to the age of almost eight years should be allowed
time for engaging themselves in the playful activities (Stern 2017). They
opine that this might help in the overall development of their psyche and
thus help them grow into responsible human beings and at the same time

6EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
help them to develop a creative mind which might help them in the
development of the future educational career that they might be pursuing
(Nutbrown and Clough 2014). Do you agree with the viewpoint that I am
presenting to you?
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
Yes, you are right that the early days in the childhood of a person helps to
shape up the psyche of the concerned person. I would like to talk of the
various aspects of the various play activities and the creative minds that
the children of the early nineteenth century demonstrated in their early
childhood days. The children as well as the teachers in the early
nineteenth century could allocate a huge amount of time that is needed to
put forth the development of the creative aspects of the child that might
be achieved through the various manners of play that involved the use of
the creative minds of the children (Kogan 2013). The early twentieth
century games that involved the children basically included the various
activities that needed them to implement the various skills that helped
them in the completion of the concerned activity. The game of Graces,
for example, mostly played by the girls involved a huge amount of
practice in order to be accomplished in a perfect manner. The game
involved the participation of two girls who had to toss a beribboned hoop
to the concerned partner with the help of two wooden rods. This game
helped them to develop the accuracy and the precision on the part of the
girls in matters that pertained to the skilled practice of doing the activities
(James and Prout 2015). The other popular games that were played by the

7EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
children in the early twentieth century were the game of Ninepins and the
other similar games that helped in the development of the eye-hand
coordination in the children. Theses games though much more popular in
the nineteenth centuries were still very much present in the early
twentieth century (Collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca 2018). These were
considered to be outdoor games and often led to the overall development
of the concerned children. Would you like to know more about the other
indoor games that the children took interest in?
Student: The outdoor games sound really interesting to me. Yes, please let me
know about the other indoor games that involved the children.
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
The various indoor games that interested the children were the miniature
dolls, a few of which you might find here at this museum. The tastes of
the children had been changing and so were the tastes of the society. The
girl children were no longer expected to take part in only graceful
activities like singing and dancing. The indoor games and that were seen
to be on the rise during the twentieth century were books, crayons, dolls
and other such miniature versions of the already present real-life objects.
The children were observed to have been taking a great amount of
interest in the activities that related to the art majorly paintings. This
helped the concerned children to put forth the various projections that
they had in their minds. This further helped them to portray the various
thoughts that they had or had been cultivating in their minds on any
particular subject (Dahlberg, Moss and Pence 2013). This helped them

8EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
develop the creativity of their minds and thus led to the honing of the
skills of the various children in the matters that pertain to the thought
processes of the children. The major artistic activities that the children
took part in helped them to sharpen their imaginative power. Do you
agree to the point of view that I just put forth?
Student: Yes, I do agree. The reading of the story books also helped the children
to draw on their imaginative powers a bit more thereby helping them
create the scenarios that they had been reading about in their minds. Did
this help them to display a better understanding of the happenings around
them?
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
Yes, you are absolutely correct. The children’s books that were filled
with stories and fables helped the concerned readers to create a mental
image of the scenario that they had been reading about. This in turn
affected the various matters that were connected to the dealings of the
mental health of the concerned child. The matters however changed with
the advancement of the technology in the various matters that dealt with
the conditions of the overall development of the child. However, the
conditions changed with the advent of technology. The books that
interested the children were replaced by the various animated and the live
shows that left a meagre amount for the concerned children to imagine.
Do you not agree to the fact that the increase in the popularity of the
television and the easy access to the internet has led to the conditions
wherein the concerned children have been believing in the facts and the

9EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
shows that are broadcasted on the televisions or over the internet?
Student: I do totally agree to the fact that the increased popularity of the television
access and the easy internet access that is granted to the concerned
children of the world. How would you like to describe the effects of these
on the early childhood development of the concerned children?
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
The advancement of technology has helped in the increase of the
knowledge of the concerned students in terms of the various matters that
they did not have such easy access to. A child living in a different part of
the world could have only imagined about the looks and the insides of the
pyramid after having read about the same in books in magazines during
the early twentieth century (Blackwell, Lauricella and Wartella 2014).
However, due to the huge and massive improvement in the matters
pertaining to the technology, the children of the modern era have access
to the view of the various great pyramids that exist in the lands of Egypt.
They might also find out about the interiors of the same if they do pursue
their searches in a more refined manner. This leaves nothing to the
imagination of the child. The technological advancement has also led to
the decrease in the interest that the child might portray towards the
unleashing of the creative aspects of his or her own brain
(Playengland.org.uk 2018). The children are losing interest in the various
story books that were high in demand in the early twentieth century. The
children in the modern era do prefer the viewing of the various animation
movies to the story books from which the concerned animated movie has

10EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
been adopted. Do you not find the situation in the modern days to be
alarming in respect of the overall development of the children?
Student: I do agree to the point that you just put forth. However, it might also be
viewed from another viewpoint. The other viewpoint states that the
technological factors have also helped in the learning of the child. The
technological advancements have, in all probabilities, led to the increase
of the first-hand knowledge of the students. On the contrary, the fact that
the technological advancements have actually contributed to the
diminishing creativity of the children (Blackwell et al. 2013). The early
childhood creativity of the children is not being allowed to flourish due to
the fact that the children have been more exposed to the various matters
that tend to put forth on hearing or reading something. Do you not think
that the children of the twenty-first century do learn a lot of things that
deal with the activities that have been taking place in the various parts of
the world?
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
The technological advancement has helped in the increase of the
knowledge that is gathered by the children who are privileged enough to
have an easy access to the internet facilities. The internet facilities have
actually helped the concerned children to know more about their
concerned subject of interest thereby making it easier for them to set the
direction in their lives (Bers et al. 2014). The development of interest in
the concerned activity or the subject might help the concerned child to
focus more attention to the matters that deal with the subject of interest in

11EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
the chosen matters but has also robbed them of the creative powers that
the children in the early twentieth century would have demonstrated as a
part of their study. Do you find that agreeable?
Student: The discussion that transpire between me and you hint at the fact that the
technological advancement has often led to the technological
advancement in the fields of communication as well as education has
actually served to be both a boon as well as a blessing to the children
who are below eight in their ages or are in the early childhood stages of
their lives. The discussion might be concluded to have been hinting at the
fact that the technological advancements in the fields of education and
the overall development of the concerned child. The conversation might
also hint at the fact that the child of the twenty-first century is more
reliant on the technological advancements rather than on the information
that might be received from the other conventional sources.
John Hassall,
Nursery Frieze:
Yes, one might opine so. However, I hope I was able to quench your
thirst for the knowledge on the concerned matter.
Student: Yes, I feel that I have acquired knowledge on the matter. Thank you for
the valuable information that you did share with me.

12EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
References
Bers, M.U., Flannery, L., Kazakoff, E.R. and Sullivan, A., 2014. Computational thinking and
tinkering: Exploration of an early childhood robotics curriculum. Computers & Education, 72,
pp.145-157.
Black, M.M., Walker, S.P., Fernald, L.C., Andersen, C.T., DiGirolamo, A.M., Lu, C., McCoy,
D.C., Fink, G., Shawar, Y.R., Shiffman, J. and Devercelli, A.E., 2017. Early childhood
development coming of age: science through the life course. The Lancet, 389(10064), pp.77-90.
Blackwell, C.K., Lauricella, A.R. and Wartella, E., 2014. Factors influencing digital technology
use in early childhood education. Computers & Education, 77, pp.82-90.
Blackwell, C.K., Lauricella, A.R., Wartella, E., Robb, M. and Schomburg, R., 2013. Adoption
and use of technology in early education: The interplay of extrinsic barriers and teacher
attitudes. Computers & Education, 69, pp.310-319.
Blair, C., Raver, C.C. and Berry, D.J., 2014. Two approaches to estimating the effect of
parenting on the development of executive function in early childhood. Developmental
Psychology, 50(2), p.554.
Bredekamp, S., 2016. Effective practices in early childhood education: Building a foundation.
Boston: Pearson.
Britto, P.R., Lye, S.J., Proulx, K., Yousafzai, A.K., Matthews, S.G., Vaivada, T., Perez-
Escamilla, R., Rao, N., Ip, P., Fernald, L.C. and MacMillan, H., 2017. Nurturing care: promoting
early childhood development. The Lancet, 389(10064), pp.91-102.

13EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
Collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca 2018. Children's Games in the 20th Century | Thematic Tours |
Musée McCord Museum. [online] Collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca. Available at:
http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/scripts/explore.php?
Lang=1&tablename=theme&tableid=11&elementid=44__true&contentlong [Accessed 20 Apr.
2018].
Cunningham, H., 2014. Children and childhood in western society since 1500. Routledge.
Dahlberg, G., Moss, P. and Pence, A., 2013. Beyond quality in early childhood education and
care: Languages of evaluation. Routledge.
Denboba, A.D., Sayre, R.K., Wodon, Q.T., Elder, L.K., Rawlings, L.B. and Lombardi, J., 2014.
Stepping up early childhood development: investing in young children for high returns.
Frongillo, E.A., Tofail, F., Hamadani, J.D., Warren, A.M. and Mehrin, S.F., 2014. Measures and
indicators for assessing impact of interventions integrating nutrition, health, and early childhood
development. Annals of the New York academy of sciences, 1308(1), pp.68-88.
Griffiths, R., 2013. A study of imagination in early childhood: and its function in mental
development (Vol. 71). Routledge.
Hardie, M. and Sabin, A.K., 2016. War Posters: The Historical Role of Wartime Poster Art
1914-1919. Courier Dover Publications.
Harms, T., Clifford, R.M. and Cryer, D., 2014. Early childhood environment rating scale.
Teachers College Press.
Hunt, J.M., 2016. Early childhood development.

14EARLY CHILDHOOD – A CONVERSATION
James, A. and Prout, A., 2015. A new paradigm for the sociology of childhood?: Provenance,
promise and problems. In Constructing and reconstructing childhood (pp. 6-28). Routledge.
Kogan, N., 2013. Cognitive styles in infancy and early childhood (Psychology Revivals).
Psychology Press.
Lascarides, V.C. and Hinitz, B.F., 2013. History of early childhood education (Vol. 982).
Routledge.
Nutbrown, C. and Clough, P., 2014. Early childhood education: History, philosophy and
experience. Sage.
Playengland.org.uk 2018. [online] Playengland.org.uk. Available at:
http://www.playengland.org.uk/media/120426/free-play-in-early-childhood.pdf [Accessed 20
Apr. 2018].
Roskos, K.A. ed., 2017. Play and literacy in early childhood: Research from multiple
perspectives. Routledge.
Stern, W., 2017. Psychology of early childhood: up to the sixth year of age (Vol. 16). Routledge.
Vam.ac.uk 2018. John Hassall, Nursery Frieze - V&A Museum of Childhood. [online] V&A
Museum of Childhood. Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/collections/john-hassall-
nursery-frieze/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2018].
Vam.ac.uk 2018. Painting Archives - V&A Museum of Childhood. [online] V&A Museum of
Childhood. Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/?collection_type=painting [Accessed 20
Apr. 2018].