An Analysis of Play, Environment, and Child Development: An Essay

This essay delves into the multifaceted relationship between play and the environment in early childhood development. It explores play as a fundamental learning practice, examining diverse perspectives on where children play and the role of structured versus unstructured activities. The essay discusses the cognitive, social, and interpersonal benefits of play, emphasizing the importance of teacher-child interactions and the child's perspective. It also highlights the influence of both indoor and outdoor environments, the impact of technology, and the importance of children's rights to express their views. The essay concludes by underscoring the vital role of play in a child's growth and development, advocating for opportunities that reflect the complexities of play and learning within the current curriculum and landscape.

Running head: ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
Introduction
Play is considered a learning practice for the children as a part of their early education
through which they can learn. There are different views regarding the fact where the children
play and the denigration of the role played, that is in favor or the teacher structured when the
consequence for pedagogical approach, it is the curriculum activity that shows appropriateness of
playing when viewed from educational perspective. This has been viewed from studies that have
been conducted over the years. Studies have investigated from the perspective of children and
how they view their role when playing and performing everyday activities. This states that when
teachers and children together take part in an activity, then the teacher understands what the child
is doing by reading the body language and the words that the child uses while playing. The act of
playing not only makes the child engage in a certain activity but also creates a sense of
vulnerability as the child’s focus is completely on the activity that he or she is doing (Johnson,
2015). In the early years, children describe play as an activity that would involve high
participation of doing an activity that involves peers and ideas of its own. This study brings forth
the information of what play is considered as a role-playing activity from the perspective of
adults.
Discussion
Play is a concept that is known universally and by all. This does not require any prior
knowledge on how to do it. Even towards animals, they perform the same activity across
different cultures and races. To young children, this is recognized as an activity that would
extend over the time of early childhood to the stage of adulthood. The study of play from an
educational perspective has been viewed from the teacher’s eyes. The advantages involve

2ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
stimulating the development of the child in areas related to cognition, development of the child
related to social perspectives and interpersonal development (Cadima et al., 2015). Recent
studies show more of a pedagogical method in the role of the teacher towards play and activities
that would constitute the appropriateness of play as a process of understanding new things. There
are views that are held parallel with one another which involves both the confirming the place
where the child plays in his childhood years, and the denigration of the role in favor of the
activities. Sometimes the teachers face problems when they deal with the complex social aspects
of the children when they are playing within the school. This is related to the documents and
constraints about their intent pedagogically. Timetable paying within a school is subjected to
regulation to the fact of regulating these activities by the environment where the child plays
(Cabell et al., 2015). Another subject is the selection of the resources available for playing is the
intervention of an adult that would makes a discarding when in favor of the act. Time along with
space is required for playing and advancement in knowledge and availability of safety. The use
of digital technology and restriction due to the fact that the perspective of play can change later
on, understanding the child’s view on the subject like playing and learning usually increase in
research and contexts.
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), they have stated that
it is important to influence the right to speak and share their thought on everyday matter. It
means to increase their involvement on daily matters more (Wood, 2014). From a cognitive point
of view, the more a child learns, the faster he or she grows. Their contribution towards this topic
recognizes their potential in promoting their views in speaking about which are important and
this research would therefore draw a new sociological explanation towards childhood. The
paradigm or the concept states that it influences the social aspects and their opinions should be

3ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
heard. It should also be understood that the children and their families are usually consumers so
they have the right to state or influence as they represent the early childhood setting.
Although they do not share any kind of dominant perspective towards the concept but
children normally forms high view about play. It is stated that children aged between 3-16 value
relations and their concept of playing outdoors and interacting with objects. Children ranging
between this age also loves to interact with animals if they are not scared of them. Their key idea
is to explore the world around them and be curious. This study shows consensus of the fact on
how children enjoy an activity (Golombok et al., 2014). This concept of freedom is the
casualness that due to the lack of adult involvement would constitute from a child’s perspective.
Some children share completely different views when they are compared to an adult. There is
also instance when the adult does not understand that the child says. In the vast mind of the child,
he or she does not think what others would think. This is like a state of imagination where
sometimes the children creates a fantasy world around them and explores it (Yoder, 2014). Some
children gets too aware about the presence of an adult when they are playing and might not be
able to focus on their activity, while others get so involved and focused that they do not look
elsewhere and do not care what others think.
From the contemporary perspective, play would involve psychoanalytic that would allow
children to get rid of the negative emotions and substitute them with positive ones. Children are
also able to express their feelings and meta communicative aspects such as hope, will, love,
competence, wisdom and care, which are the key stages of a developmental phase (Anders &
Rossbach, 2015). However from the traditional approach would be more of surplusing energy
and the concept of becoming free from the rules of the parents or the teachers, then there is also
relaxation where the child lets go of the thoughts of what can happen if they do this or that. This

4ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
can also be stated that play is a method of pre-exercise that would be a key skill to survive, for
example children or even animals when they are small normally have a playful behavior that is
essentially the skill that helps them to survive.
When looking at this from a cultural approach, it invites an idea of the cultural basis.
There are instances when this explores and develops the idea by the way play is understood. As
Vygotsky underlines it, this observation is not only made in connection to the children’s idea in a
concrete state (Lin & Bratton, 2015). From historical or classical standpoint, this states that
children learns to make meanings in relation to the communities that would draw practice
through interactions through others. Even if it is looked a couple of hundred years back., there
was not too much of a difference in the concept of play however with time and advancement of
technology and science, there has been better methods to make the best of development of
children.
Outdoor development of play in a child provides different opportunities and makes the
best out of the constant changing environment. Due to the possibility of expressing freedom and
boisterous movement and direct contact with nature, this benefits the children with many factors.
One of the most important being the exposure to sunlight, also this involves natural elements and
air (Tandon et al., 2015). When the child is physically active from an early age there are high
chances of the child being able to grow and develop faster. Also playing outside form an early
age reduced the chance of getting obese when the child is older. With a growing culture of fear
and the state of mind where accidents can happen, this would lead to bringing the child inside.
However when looking at indoor development of play usually means that the child is always
within the view of the parents and are safe (Roskos, 2017). However due to indoor activities, the
child does not get the proper exposure to natural element and even proper social interactions that

5ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
night make the child socially awkward. However as per recent studies show, the playing activity
of children have decreased due to advancement of technology with the introduction of television
or computer which has made people to stay indoors. Also when the parents are working for long
hours, the involvement in proper interactions with the children has also decreased.
In Australia, the children have proper access for development when looked at social,
emotional and cognitive development. The schools are highly depended on technology and
through which they teach the children on how to perceive play as an instrument to achieve
benefits like mental and physical development (Lynch, 2015). The teachers are very interactive
with the students and there are separate classes that are solely for playing games and getting then
to interact. Education is very important for a child, however the act of play is equally important
as is the base that actually builds the character. By exercising cautious and simple gaze, children
are able to express themselves more freely. Adults on the other hand, when they are too careful
do not tarnish the children’s space for playing and through creating programmed, that would
segregate the children and their idea of playing (Yoshikawa et al., 2015). Children should always
be given the opportunity to explore themselves, and when they are left of their own, they develop
a sense of culture and which later turns into wisdom. The teacher is the one who would actually
monitor this and he or she should be completely knowable on how to handle a child. As the key
role of the teacher is with the academic success of the students, however it is equally important
to share a bond with them (Mills & Crowley, 2014). When the child is playing in the school
premises the teacher keeps a watch over them and observes them carefully. Teachers and even
the parents have various roles towards the learning of the children. This in doing so creates a role
of guidance that would make the children understand that what actually the importance of play
is. When the teacher is open to discussion with children and ask interactive questions like what

6ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
they want to do when they grow up or what did they do today, the child goes on expressing their
inner thought without thinking what the teacher meant by that. This also helps when there are
more than one child in the classroom as when one of them is not sure what they should answer,
they understand the answer from their classmates (Meany-Walen, Bratton, & Kottman, 2014).
For example, if a child is asked “What is the name of our school?” and if he or she does not
know the answer to it, they would learn it from their classmate when they answer the correct
question. The teacher usually uses the other children as examples for the one who actually have
problems understanding what is going on.
Conclusion
Therefore from the above discussion it can be concluded that play is a vital part of a child
when he or she is growing up. This would raise questions that can or cannot be taken for granted.
The involvement of the teacher in extra-curricular activities would create opportunities to
consider children’s view when reflecting the complexities of playing and learning at the same
time. This is a rich and complex interplay that makes opportunities to consider while it is
reflecting the complexities of play and learning within the current curriculum or landscape,
which is the foundation in which the child grows up. When there are opportunities that would
reflect the implications for the field of early childhood education. By using examples, that is the
best method to make a child understand. When a child plays, they should know the environment
very well and should also know their capabilities. The teacher would actually act like a guide
who would prevent them if they were to attempt anything which is unsafe. Despite the fact the
children need their space, however as they lack to capability to think it is best to watch over them
when they go and play on their own.

7ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
REFERENCES
Anders, Y., & Rossbach, H. G. (2015). Preschool teachers’ sensitivity to mathematics in
children’s play: The influence of math-related school experiences, emotional attitudes,
and pedagogical beliefs. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 29(3), 305-322.
Cabell, S. Q., Justice, L. M., McGinty, A. S., DeCoster, J., & Forston, L. D. (2015). Teacher–
child conversations in preschool classrooms: Contributions to children's vocabulary
development. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 30, 80-92.
Cadima, J., Doumen, S., Verschueren, K., & Buyse, E. (2015). Child engagement in the
transition to school: Contributions of self-regulation, teacher–child relationships and
classroom climate. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 32, 1-12.
Golombok, S., Mellish, L., Jennings, S., Casey, P., Tasker, F., & Lamb, M. E. (2014). Adoptive
gay father families: Parent–child relationships and children's psychological
adjustment. Child Development, 85(2), 456-468.
Johnson, J. E. (2015). Play development from ages four to eight years. Play from birth to twelve,
21-29.
Lin, Y. W., & Bratton, S. C. (2015). A meta‐analytic review of child‐centered play therapy
approaches. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(1), 45-58.
Lynch, M. (2015). More Play, Please: The Perspective of Kindergarten Teachers on Play in the
Classroom. American Journal of Play, 7(3), 347-370.
Meany‐Walen, K. K., Bratton, S. C., & Kottman, T. (2014). Effects of Adlerian play therapy on
reducing students' disruptive behaviors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 92(1),
47-56.

8ESSAY OF PLAY AND ENVIRONMENT
Mills, J. C., & Crowley, R. J. (2014). Therapeutic metaphors for children and the child within.
Routledge.
Roskos, K. A. (Ed.). (2017). Play and literacy in early childhood: Research from multiple
perspectives. Routledge.
Tandon, P. S., Saelens, B. E., & Christakis, D. A. (2015). Active play opportunities at child
care. Pediatrics, peds-2014.
Wood, E. A. (2014). Free choice and free play in early childhood education: Troubling the
discourse. International Journal of Early Years Education, 22(1), 4-18.
Yoder, N. (2014). Teaching the Whole Child: Instructional Practices That Support Social-
Emotional Learning in Three Teacher Evaluation Frameworks. Research-to-Practice
Brief. Center on Great Teachers and Leaders.
Yoshikawa, H., Leyva, D., Snow, C. E., Treviño, E., Barata, M., Weiland, C., ... & Arbour, M.
C. (2015). Experimental impacts of a teacher professional development program in Chile
on preschool classroom quality and child outcomes. Developmental psychology, 51(3),
309