The Importance of Play, concerning Socioeconomic Status

Socioeconomic status plays a tremendous role in the act of play during childhood.  When children come for low SES families, the resources the children have available are slim to none, or they could have very few appropriate manipulatives to play with.  Often times, children learn to play with their peers based upon their natural surrounding.  According to “Play=Learning” it states “The socioeconomic status (SES) of children’s families is one of the strongest predictors of performance differences in children entering school” (Singer, Golinkoff, Hirsch-Pasek, 2006).  Teachers often track students from different SES categories, which starts at the early childhood stages all the way through late childhood and beyond.  

Children often gain social and play skills through their parents and other influential adults.  According to “Children’s Play”, children who are from inner-city schools tend to come from low SES families and the resources are limited in the schools and early childhood facilities (2005).  In children who are young the influence of “replica” play is very important.  If children see their parents or other adults doing negative forms of recreation and play, the children will tend to act out those forms of play, because they believe these types of play are appropriate (2005).  If children from low SES do not learn the correct forms of play from early childhood development all the way up through late childhood many skills will be lost.  There are many forms of interventions, like Head Start programs.  These programs provide care and assistance for children who come from low SES families.  It is a chance for the children to gain a better grasp on what appropriate play consists of.

Works Cited

Naudeau, S., Ponte, I., Salonius-Pasternak, D., Scarlett, G.  2005.  Children’s Play.  Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA

Singer, D., Golinkoff, R., Hirsch-Pasek, K.  (2006).  Play=Learning.  Oxford University Press: New York, NY.

The Importance of Play, concerning Children with Disabilities

Children who have disabilities tend to have different forms of play.  Different disabilities have different affects on how and when children decided to play.  According to “Children’s Play” the most widely known disability that can affect social and behavioral skills is Autism (2005).  Children with autism have a hard time engaging themselves in dramatic play and/or making up pretend roles for themselves or others.  It is hard for them to adapt to certain situations that involve change or the lack of a regular routine.  However, the same support system is required for children with or without a disability, because each child needs to learn how to solve problems with their peers.  There are many strategies parents or teachers can learn to do that will ease the transition from the classroom to inside or outside play activities with other children.

According to the website called, “Raising Children Network” some of the techniques are directed towards learning how to play for children with disabilities.  When children with disabilities learn to play well with his or her peers the relationships they create will be fun and long-lasting, gain more self-confidence, and enhancing social skills that involve communicating between other children (Raising Children’s Network, 2006).  The area a child needs to play has to be a wide and open space having plenty of space to move around freely.  When children with disabilities are in crowded areas, they tend to see distractions and become very emotional (depending on their type of disability or disorder).  

Teachers and parents can do a lot to help children during their transitioning phase.  According to “Raising Children Network” website teachers should “model the skills they are trying to pass along to the child” and should encourage them to participate in meaningful play they enjoy.  Children should be taught to relate play activities back to everyday living techniques so children can see the value in play and what it does for their development.

Works Cited

“Raising Children Network”.  (2006).  http://raisingchildren.net.au/children_with_disabilities/raising_children_with_disabilities.html

Naudeau, S., Ponte, I., Salonius-Pasternak, D., Scarlett, G.  2005.  Children’s Play.  Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA

The Importance of Play when looking at Gender

The importance for play in children throughout the early childhood years and through early adolescence is vital in their development.  One of the main factors during play is the gender of the child.  Each gender brings something special to the development of the opposite sex (Tamm, Skar, 2000).  Girls tend to be more gentle and compassionate during play.  During a dramatic play center, the girls will generally take on the more “nurturing” role as a parent or caregiver when pretending to role play (Fabes, Martin, and Hanish, 2003).  Boys tend to be more rough when play, because they like the concrete physical contact with each other.  In many cases, boys will tackle, push, or even kick as a form of pretend play.  Young boys rarely know they are engaging in rough play, because to them it is just “playing” and they are having fun.

Gender can also have a major role in play as to whether children play together or separated by their specific gender.  According to the book, “Children’s Play” it states “In late childhood, boys tend to maintain or even increase their preference for stereotypically masculine play by engaging in chase games, ball games, and rough-and-tumble play” (Scarlett, Naudeau, Salonius-Pasternak, Ponte, 2005).  Boys tend to bring more physical contact to the girls type of play, and girls tend to bring more gentle and dramatic play to the boys play.  “Children’s Play” also discusses about how girls play and they tend to “...engage in more diversified type of play.  They often engage in verbal and jumping games, games that many observers view as more quiet and sometimes more sedentary” (2005).  Overall, boys and girls bring different characteristics to identity development during play.  Both ends of the spectrum are needed for a well balanced development of young children through late childhood.  

Works Cited

Naudeau, S., Ponte, I., Salonius-Pasternak, D., Scarlett, G.  2005.  Children’s Play.  Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA

Fabes, R., Martin, C., Hanish, L.  (2003).  “Young Children’s Play Qualities in Same-, Other-, and Mixed-Sex Peer Groups”.  Volume 74, Number 3.  May/June 2003.

Tamm, M., Skar, L.  (2000).  “How I Play: Roles and Relations in the Play Situations of Children with Restricted Mobility”.  Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy.