WELCOME


BY
K. DURGA LAKSHMI
I-B.Ed. (Mathematics)
PLAY ACTIVITIES
OF CHILDHOOD
 INTRODUCTION
The classic study of how play develops in
children was carried out by MILDRED PARTEN in
the late 1920s at the INSTITUTE OF CHILD
DEVELOPMENT IN MINNESOTA, AMERICA.
She found that as children grow, their play
activities too get changed. Certain types of play
are associated with, but not restricted to specific
age groups. During childhood (between ages 1 to
6), plays which fulfill the developmental needs of
childhood are of many kinds. We shall see briefly
the important once among them.
1. UNOCCUPIED PLAY
This could not be viewed as a play in the strict sense of
the term. Infants from birth to 6 month, are found relatively
stationary and appear to be performing random movements
with their limbs with no apparent purpose. This is a
relatively infrequent.

EXAMPLES :
 
2. SOLITARY PLAY OR
INDEPENDENT PLAY
Children upto the age of 2, are
completely engrossed in plays along with
their toys and do not seem to notice other
children. They may manipulate their toys
according to their moods, either placing one
over the other or rolling them hither to
thither. The playing toys of a child may
differ from those of their children. Children
of this age group play, simply for their
pleasure. Since the cognitive, physical and
social skills of infants are at low level as well
as they are shy in nature, ego-centric in their
thinking and lake communivative ability
through language, they show interest in
playing alone i.e. in independent play.
3. PARALLEL PLAY
Children between 2 and 3 years
old may sit with their respective toys
side by side with others but not allow
to share with anyone. After they get
acquainted for some months, they
may play by sharing their toys.
However not more than two, join
together to get engaged in such
plays. More active among the two
children, will usually start playing
and the other child will try to imitate
the same i.e. the child mimics other
child’s play but does not actively
engaged with it. For example they
may use the same toy but play
separately.
4. ONLOOKED PLAY
A child of 3½ years old takes an interest in other
children’s play but does not join in. Child in this age
group may ask questions or just talk to other children,
but the main activity is simple to watch. This kind of
play helps to increase the vocabulary of children.
Shyness, being younger than other children, lack of
knowledge about a specific play which others are playing
etc. may be the reasons for children not joining others to
play but simple watch others playing. This kind of play
may continue between infancy and pre-school stage.
 5. ASSOCIATIVE PLAY
Children of age 3½ to 5
may be interested in each other
than the toys they are using. This is
the first category that involves strong social
interaction between the children while they play.
However this kind of play
may not be structured and lack rules and
regulations. In this type of play, children may
talk among themselves, share their toys and
some children following what
others are doing. However this kind of play
may usually last for a short duration, not more
than half an hour.
 COOPERATIVE PLAY
In this type of children’s plays, some kind of organisation
enters i.e. play becomes structured. For example, the playing has
some goal and children often adopt roles and act as a group. At
about the age of 8, children get attracted towards cooperative plays.

Dramatic
and Fantasy
Play

Competitive
Constructive COOPERATIVE
Play PLAY Play

Physical
Play
Co-operative plays include the following :
1) Dramatic and Fantasy Play : Team plays involving role playing of doctor-patient,
teacher-pupil, shop keeper-customers, police- thief etc. are included in this
category of plays.

2) Competitive Play : Children by observing directly or through television, may

come to know how to play cricket, tennis, foodball, ball-badminton etc. and start
playing in a similar way. However they may change the rules as per the local
needs. Getting a win over the opposite team will be the main aim of this kind of
play.

3) Physical Play : At the high school stage children will be interested in taking part
and win prizes in plays such as running race, cycling, weight-lifting, disc throw,
javelin-throw, long-jump, high-jump etc. which require more stamina and
physical strength.

4) Constructive Play : This type of play includes assembling the parts to form the
whole structure, constructing sand figures and houses, making a model bridge,
constructing house with ice-fruit stricks, with the use of thermocoal sheets
developing different kinds of models like temple, the Tajmahal, Indian Parliament
etc. Things which are produced / constructed in this type of play are small in size
as compared to the real ones, unstable and not fit for practical use in real life.
CONCLUSION :
Among children, the following are the important
ones : Kabadi, hide and seek, chess, ‘Pandi’,
‘Pallanguzhi’, banker-play, ‘Kummi’, ’Kolattam’,
rolling the metallic dice etc. Among these some are
meant for girls; some are meant for boys; few others
could be played by both the sexes.

******************
THANK
YOU