In this chapter, you are introduced to the notion that play is an integral part of childhood. This chapter explores the difficulties associated with defining play and the main theories on the relationship between play and development that currently dominate the ECE landscape. It offers a critique of these theories from a postdevelopmental perspective, and discusses their application in ECE classroom practices. It also explores how play is related to both learning and teaching as well as how it can be integrated into the ECE curriculum.
Some of the key ideas in this chapter include:
Play is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that it seen to have characteristics such as being intrinsically motivated, enjoyable, without external rules, process rather than product-oriented, engaging for players, and non-literal.
Play is framed in two conflicting ways: play as a right is affirmed by the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child while play as pedagogy derives from pressures to raise standards and prepare children for school.
Current practices are often framed by western child development theory which is problematic because play in seen as being the same for children in certain ages and stages of development across cultures, contexts, and abilities. The relationship between play and development has been seen in three ways: as a reflection of the child’s current level of development (Piaget), as a source of development (Vygotsky and Elkonin), and as adaptive variability based on brain-development research and evolutionary theory (eg. Sutton-Smith).
Post-developmental perspectives on play recognize diversity among children and question approaches that have positioned diverse children and families as vulnerable or at-risk. Ailwood (2012) has critiqued three dominant positions on play: discourse of play characteristics (views play as needed by innocent children to develop), discourse of play characteristics (views play as free and enjoyable in contrast to many classroom practices that regulate play), developmental discourse on play (reinforces Eurocentric ideas of play).
The relationship between play and learning has historically been considered in two ways: using purposefully designed play materials under the supervision and direction of the teacher or valuing nature organic play as a vehicle for learning. Playful pedagogy attempts to reconcile this conflict by urging teachers to be interactive and responsive during children’s play to guide their learning. Frost similarly describes three approaches which conceive of the teacher’s role differently: trust-in-play, facilitate-play, and learn-and-teach through play. Finally, Samuelsson and Carlsson (2008) proposed a view of the playing-learning child which combines creativity, mindfulness, and possibility thinking.
