Paper Summary

This paper analyses the importance of playing in the development of kindergarden children.
During play, children also increase their social competence and emotional maturity. Smilansky
and Shefatya (1990) contend that school success largely depends on childrens ability to interact
positively with their peers and adults. Play is vital to childrens social development. It enables
children to do the following

Practice both verbal and nonverbal communication skills by negotiating roles, trying to
gain access to ongoing play, and appreciating the feelings of others (Spodek & Saracho, 1998).

Respond to their peers feelings while waiting for their turn and sharing materials and
experiences (Sapon-Shevin, Dobbelgere, Carrigan, Goodman, & Mastin, 1998; Wheeler, 2004).

Experiment with roles of the people in their home, school, and community by coming
into contact with the needs and wishes of others (Creasey, Jarvis, & Berk, 1998; Wheeler, 2004).
Play supports emotional development by providing a way to express and cope with feelings.
Pretend play helps children express feelings in the following four ways (Piaget, 1962):

1.

Simplifying events by creating an imaginary character, plot, or setting to match their

emotional state. A child afraid of the dark, for example, might eliminate darkness or night from
the play episode.

2.

Controlling emotional expression by repeatedly reenacting unpleasant or frightening

experiences. For example, a child might pretend to have an accident after seeing a real traffic
accident on the highway.
The play context is ideal for supporting childrens creative and imaginative thought
because it offers a risk-free environment. Research supports the notion that play and creative
thought are related behaviors because they both rely on childrens ability to use symbols
(Johnson, Christie, et al., 1999; Singer & Singer, 1998; Spodek & Saracho, 1998). Jerome and
Dorothy Singer (1985, 1998) describe the ability to engage in make-believe as essential to
childrens developing the ability to create internal imagery, stimulate curiosity, and experiment
with alternative responses to different situations. This capacity, practiced in play settings,
enhances childrens ability to engage successfully in new situations.