Child Development and Play: Exploring Theories and Importance

This assignment delves into the critical role of play in child development, examining it through various theoretical lenses. It begins by introducing Arnold Gessell's maturational theory and its emphasis on the influence of internal factors on a child's physical development. The assignment highlights the importance of physical activity play for immediate developmental functions, and it further explores different theories of play, emphasizing its significance in a child's physical, social, and emotional growth. The paper cites studies that link physical play to emotional competence and advocates for children's interaction with natural environments to foster intellectual capability. It also touches on locomotor play and the importance of natural play spaces. The assignment concludes by emphasizing the role of adult support in facilitating play and references key studies and literature to support the arguments presented.

IMPORTANCE OF PLAY IN
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Examining through various theories of play

Child Development – Physical aspect
 Arnold Gessell proposed the ‘maturational
theory’ in 1925, which is concerned with a
child’s physical development
 According to him, “pacing in children is
influenced by internal factors, such as
physical and mental development genetics”.
 Pellegrini, Dupuis and Smith (2007) assert,
“forms of physical activity play serve
primarily immediate developmental
functions”.

Theories of Play
 Play is activities that people especially
children engage in, mostly for amusement.
 It has an important role in child development
as it not only helps children develop
physically but also socially and emotionally.
 “Physical play is associated with emotional
competence with peers especially in case of
boys”, found Biddle and Goudas (1996) in
their study.

Theories of Play
 Herrington and Brussoni (2015) are of the view
that children should be allowed to “play with
and within the natural environment” as it
develops their intellectual capability as well.
 Locomotor play is the type of play where
movement happens in all directions for own
sake.
 “Play is like a reservoir full of water. the
deeper the reservoir, the more water can be
stored in it and used in time of drought” (Bruce
1991).

Theories of play
 “Natural play spaces provide for more
diverse forms of play for children of
varying ages and competencies” (Fjørtoft
2001)
 Play has been defined as “that absorbing
activity in which healthy young children
participate with enthusiasm and abandon”.
 The role of adult becomes increasingly
significant in this context because without
adult help and support, children cannot
even take the first step

References:
Berghänel, A., Schülke, O. and Ostner, J., 2015. Locomotor play drives motor skill acquisition at
the expense of growth: A life history trade-off. Science advances, 1(7), p.e1500451.
Biddle, S. and Goudas, M., 1996. Analysis of children's physical activity and its association with
adult encouragement and social cognitive variables. Journal of School Health, 66(2), pp.75-78.
Bruce, T., 1991. Time to play in early childhood education. Edward Arnold, Hodder & Stoughton.
Fjørtoft, I., 2001. The natural environment as a playground for children: The impact of outdoor
play activities in pre-primary school children. Early childhood education journal, 29(2), pp.111-
117.
Herrington, S. and Brussoni, M., 2015. Beyond physical activity: the importance of play and
nature-based play spaces for children’s health and development. Current obesity reports, 4(4),
pp.477-483.
Linsey, E.W. and Colwell, M.J., 2003. Preschoolers' emotional competence: Links to pretend and
physical play. Child Study Journal, 33(1), pp.39-53.
Mellou, E., 1994. Play theories: A contemporary review. Early child development and care,
102(1), pp.91-100.
Pellegrini, A.D., 2009. Research and policy on children’s play. Child Development
Perspectives, 3(2), pp.131-136.
Pellegrini, A.D., Dupuis, D. and Smith, P.K., 2007. Play in evolution and
development. Developmental review, 27(2), pp.261-276.

Thank You