Discussion Questions on Importance of Playing for Children Development - Paper Example

Note: Please use Module #6 Journal entry for question one answers.

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How has the context of play evolved since I was a child. We have seen playing evolve from quit a lot in past couple decades. Children today spend much less time outdoors playing and more time cooped up indoors being inactive. This ia partly due to having less access to safe outdoor places to play But the biggest change is technology today children do not even have to be connected to a television set to play video games . They have tablets and smartphones readily available at anytime anyplace. Weather it be in the car or at the dinner table while the family is out to eat. When I was younger play was creative and involved a lot of physical activity. How has the way boys play today versus when I was growing up. Then boys could be found playing everyday for several hours usually what ever sport was in season or popular in my neighborhood.{baseball, soccer, football, hockey etc} Today boys do still participate in these sports but usually because it is part of their schools sport program or other organization. The play and practices are scheduled rarely do they play for fun. Rather then play these games with friends in their neighborhood they can sit indoors playing them on their Xbox. How girls play today versus when I was growing up. When I was growing up we played house, dress up and barbies. We spent time outdoors playing or riding bicycles with our friends. Today they still play house and dressup. But technology has even changed how they play that. I see so many young girls pretending to b shopping on a tablet and using the play phone to take pictures of their classmates. I think these changes are due both to the abundance of and access to technology. Along with family structure. I see more children who are from single parent only child households more dependent on technology for play then their peers from larger families.

Q2. (THEORY OF PLAY) Topic

Note: Talk about Alices encounter against the theories of Ambiguity of play.

When I think of a childhood piece of literature that sparks creativity or influences play. I think of Lewis Carrols Alices. Adventures in Wonderland. This story personifies many if not of the seven rhetorics of play ( Brian Sutton Smith The Ambiguity of Play). Play as progress, play as fate, play as power, play as identity, play as self and play as frivolous. Throughout her adventure in wonderland Alice is perpetually learning that the crazy mixed up place has rules and her actions have consequences. Drink and you shrink eat and you grow. Which is a clear example of play as progress which in this rhetoric focuses on the developmental aspects of the play. throughout the book the other characters often mistake Alice for someone or something else entirely. To which Alice quite often objects. Yet many times she finds herself questioning her own identity as well. Wwhich is a good example of play as identity which focuses on constructing and confirming social identities.

Q3. (PERSPECTIVES OF PLAY) Topic

Note: Please use Module #6 journal entry to answer the questions

Talk about your earlier playing manner.

Q4. (PLAY AND DEVELOPMENT) Topic

Note: use the Journal Module #1 Icebreaker Discussion for the answers.

Response: Growing up for me play was a way to escape reality. We didn't always have the latest and greatest toy growing up. So we were left to our own devices and imagination s quite often. My sister and I would put on plays, concert's and fashion shows. I don't think we ever stopped playing. I went into the arts and education. In my current role teaching preschool with Head Start creative play has been very beneficial in the classroom.

Q5. (PLAY AND ENCOURAGED ATTACHMENT) - Topic

Note: Please use Module # 2 Journal, Discussion: Animal Play to give your answers.

Talk about your play and therapy importance

Q6. (PLAY AND ANIMAL INTERACTION) Topic

Note: Please use Module # 2 Journal, Discussion: Animal Play to answer question about play.

We often observe animals playing with other animals or with humans; we even have heard about how animals are used for therapy whether it is in a nursing home or with children who have a mental, emotional or physical disability. In this study third grade students who had poor reading test scores were placed in three control groups.

Group one read aloud to a teacher,

Group two read aloud to a teddy bear with an adult in the room.

Group three read aloud to a therapy dog while an adult was in the room.

The students in the control group that read aloud to a dog showed significant improvement in their reading skills more so than the other two groups. This group also showed improvement in their self confidence in the classroom As well as having an improved attitude towards their school work and they were also able to concentrate in the classroom better.

As the dog control group read aloud they also interacted,and played with the dog. They also wrote letters, drew pictures for their dogs which they shared by reading out loud to their dogs.

It was clear these students and their dogs ad bonded over the course of the reading study. The children clearly enjoyed being around a dog. Most children just seem to naturally love animals, and especially dogs. Think of the positive motivation this gives to the child as they sit with, read to, and pat a calm and gentle dog.

Q7. (RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLAY AND CREATIVITY/Learning) Topic

Note: please use Module #4 Discussion Play and School Readiness to answer the questions

For young children play comes naturally. They learn how to explore their world using their senses which leads them to play. In preschool children learn to play together and share or work together. Playing and having fun in preschool creates a positive image of school. It makes children want to learn want to come to school because they see it as a fun experience. Play and creativity promote a positive learning environment. When children are done playing they also have clean-up time so it teaches them responsibility.

Q8. (PLAY AND RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT) Topic

Note: Please use Module #4 Discussion Play and School Readiness to these answer questions

Playfulness and adaptive coping skills help children to open up and explore. It helps children to interact with the world around them. Play and the skills developed during play can help a child transition into adulthood better. As children play they create their own version of the world they see around them. This type of imaginary play lets them work through conflicts and explore different social roles through role play. It also helps children to develop skills to interact or relate to classmates, friends and family. The connection between playfulness and imagination is considerable. Play sparks the imagination creative process pretend play or dramatic play also help in cognitive development.

"How can this relationship help the child at risk? "

Children who are at risk typically have emotional and behavior problems.Playfullnss and imagination help these children to develop coping skills which help them control their emotions. It also helps them to take accountability for their behavior. Play helps children learn new social and relationship skills. These skills help them to build better relationships with family and friends.Play also helps t build self confidence and self esteem. Many children who are classified as being "at-risk" come from low-income families. Their creativity and imagination can provide an escape from the hardships of daily life.

"is a strategy that is successful at three also going to be successful at 10, 25, 60?"

Just as play has an important role in our development play can benefu=it us a s we grow older. As adults we play for different reasons such as to relieve stress and spending time socially with our friends. Taking time out to play as we grow older can also help us to be more productive in other areas of lives such as work.Playing as we age can also improve brain function and can help prevent memory loss.The same types of play we did as children to help us learn,develop and grow as adults helps us to cope with our daily lives. As well as helping to improve quality of life as we age. The strategies and types of play may evolve and change as we age but its importance does not.