UNIT 1 Lesson 1
What is Play?
Play is something you can do alone
or with someone, something that
involves being active, something
that totally captures your attention
and gives you enjoyment.
Play is an activity where children
show their remarkable ability for
exploration, imagination, and
decision-making. While play is
often described as 'children's work',
it is intensely enjoyable for them.
One definition from Susanna
Millar's The Psychology of Play
defines play as: “any purposeful
mental or physical activity
performed either individually or
group-wise in leisure time or at
work for enjoyment, relaxation, and
satisfaction of real-time or long-
term needs.”
A. Definitions of Play
a. Play from Different Perspectives
Sheridan (1977) made the following
distinctions:
1. Play – is the eager engagement
in the pleasurable physical or
mental effort to obtain emotional
satisfaction.
2. Work – is the voluntary
engagement in the disciplined
physical or mental effort to obtain
material benefit.
3. Drudgery – is the enforced
engagement in the distasteful
physical or mental effort to obtain
the means of survival.
4. Ploy – when play and work
merge into each other.
5. Slog – when work and drudgery
merge into each other
Mary Sheridan born on
1899 lived in Liverpool, England,
she died on 14 February 1978. Her
nationality is British. Alma mater
University of Liverpool. She is
known for Speech and language
delays in the young child and how it
affects hearing. STYCAR tests
(tests to detect visual problems in
children between the ages of six
months and five years)
feminism Awards OBE, James
Spence Medal (1968). Scientific
career in fields pediatrics
Play as a Behavior
-Some theorists have suggested
that for an activity to be regarded
as play, certain characteristics
must be observed.
Krasnor and Pepler (1980) suggest
that for an activity to be defined as
play, we must observe voluntary
participation, enjoyment, intrinsic
motivation, pretense, and a focus
on
process over product.
-Pellegrini that the more
characteristics that are present, the
more like play the activity becomes.
Play as an Approach to Task
 UNIT 1 Lesson 1
What is Play?
Research demonstrates that
preschool children define play as
an activity that is freely chosen and
self-directed. Children do not often
define play as being something that
is necessarily fun (Robson, 1993;
Keating et al., 2000)
-In addition to choice and control,
activities that occur on the floor,
rather than at a table, and outside,
rather than inside, are more likely
to be seen as play. (Howard, 2002;
Parker, 2007).
-The nature and degree of adult
involvement are also important
(McInnes et al., 2009).
-Bundy (1993) argues that the way
children approach an activity may
be far more important than the
actual activity itself. The same
activity might be described by
children as play or not play,
depending on the freedom, choice
and control they are afforded
Play and Exploration
-Piaget (1951) and Hutt (1976)
propose that activity progresses
from exploration to play as children
become familiar with objects and
their environments. At the
exploration stage, children are
finding out what an object does;
whereas during play, they begin to
consider what they can do with that
object. Therefore, much of the
activity we can observe in young
infants might be categorized as
exploration. This exploration is
comparable to the more structured
learning experienced in later
childhood. Early exploration is
important as it acts as a
springboard for the development of
future play skills.
The Dynamic Process of Play
-Play is a behavior, an approach to
task, but also a process. Children
move in and out of play according
to their own needs and wishes and
other influences within the
environment. Other influences on
children’s play might include
location, the availability of
materials, time, and the
involvement of other people.
Sturrock and Else (1998) suggest
that play is a cycle of activity. They
propose that children communicate
the desire to play using a series of
signals and that for play to maintain
momentum these signals must be
responded to appropriately.
B. Characteristics of Play
Generally, play is considered to be:
-Intrinsically motivating.
-Stimulating, and actively engaging.
-Voluntary. However, players can
also be invited or prompted to
play.
-Autonomous, under the control of
the player, and/or free from
imposed rules.
-Non-literal/Symbolic.
 UNIT 1 Lesson 1
What is Play?
-Process rather than product
oriented.
-Enjoyable/fun/pleasurable.
C. Essential Factors that Define
Play
-Play is intrinsically motivated.
-Play is freely chosen.
-Play allows children to have
control over the activity.
-Play has a non-literal quality.
-Play is pleasurable, spontaneous,
and enjoyable.
-Play involves active involvement of
the player.
MOTIVATION
Why is the child engaged in the
behavior?
PLAY: The child is involved for the
sake of the activity itself – not to
please someone else and not
because they have to do the
activity. The child wants to do the
activity at the time of the activity.
NON-PLAY: The child is involved in
the activity to achieve a prize,
reward, award, or to please
someone else. The child is told by
someone to do the activity.
CHOICE
Who has chosen the activity?
PLAY: The child can freely choose
an activity. There is a variety of
choices available.
NON-PLAY: The child is told what
to do and has no choice of whether
to participate or not.
CONTROL
Who is in charge?
PLAY: The child decides what to do
and how to do the activity. There
are no pre-set guidelines. There is
no one right way to do the activity.
NON-PLAY: The adult tells the
child what to do and imposes
specific rules and guidelines
about the activity. The child is
expected to do the activity the right
way.
LITERALITY
Can the child freely pretend?
PLAY: The child is not bound by
reality and can make-believe. The
child escapes the constraints of
reality.
NON-PLAY: There are very specific
restraints on the child. The child is
told to use the materials in the
“right” way or told to act like a dog
only in the way demonstrated by an
adult.
INVOLVEMENT
What is the level of involvement?
PLAY: Children are actively
involved.
NON-PLAY: Children are passive
and indifferent.
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What is Play?
PLEASURE
Is this activity enjoyable and fun?
PLAY: The activity is enjoyable for
its own sake. Play is fun without
fear of failure. Play is often
spontaneous.
NON-PLAY: The activity is tedious
and unpleasant. The child must
complete the activity as directed by
an adult whether or not the activity
is enjoyable.

B. Theories of Play
1. Classical Theories of Play
Classical theories have tried to
explain why play exists and what
purpose it serves.
 Surplus energy theory;
 Recreation or Relaxation
theory;
 Practice or Pre-exercise
theory; and
 Recapitulation theory.

2. Modern Theories of Play

Modern theories of play attempt to
determine the role of play in child
development and not only why it
exists, as is the case with classical
theories.
 Psychoanalytic theory;
 Arousal Modulation
theory;
 Bateson's
Metacommunicative
theory; and
 Cognitive theories.