Play, toys &

Games
 What is Play
× Children all over the world engage in play

× As children use toys and play games, they

learn and develop

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 What is Play
1. Play is educational
2. Play provides an opportunity to make choices
3. Play allows children to use their imaginations
4. Play offers a familiar routine and comforting
ritual.

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 What is play
5. Play is a way to work out frustrations

6. Play is a way of making friends no matter

where you go

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 Play & human developmen
t
The 3 components of effective parenting or
caregiving for children up to age 6 are:
× Play
× Comfort
× teaching

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 Play is learning
× Play is the classroom for learning about life.
× They engage in play using all their senses;
see, touch, feel, listen, and smell.
× When they play they are thinking, problem
solving, planning and experimenting.

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 Play is learning
× They are role playing where they imagine a
whole range of careers.

× They have conversations, resolve arguments

and accomplish great feats.

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 Play Therapy (career option)
× Play has been acknowledged and used as a
way to understand a child’s mind.

× Play therapy has been used to discover hidden

emotions, frustrations, fears, anger, and
hostility in children.

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× A child is offered the chance to play with
toys such as dolls, doll houses, cars and
trucks.
× A therapist observes and takes note of how
the child plays and what they are saying
during play
× After a couple sessions patterns will begin to
emerge.
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 Play is discovery
× Not all play needs to be organized or arranged
for children.
× The great outdoors is an adventure in itself.
× Interacting with nature offers many
opportunities for play. (geocaching)

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 Play is culture
× Play is an expression of culture.
× In North America, technology and numeracy is
highly valued and therefore many toys
available here have a technology component
× In societies where linguistics is valued, books,
and writing tools are more available.

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Play is culture
× Play also tends to reinforce stereotypes in a
society.
× Children will reproduce in play the
stereotypes they see or the experiences they
have.

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toys
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 Toys & human developmen
t
× As adults, we recognize toys by their shape
and brite colours, however, for a child,
anything can be a toy, as long as it engages
the child in a focused activity.
× ECEs, parents and caregivers all need to
know which toys are appropriate for which
age group…(we’ll get back to that)
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games

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 Games & human developm
e nt
× A game is generally played the same way
every time, whereas toys can have different
purposes.

× Games have rules and often require

cooperation of two or more people.

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