Learning Through Play
Functional play is an exploratory type of play that begins when children are infants. Children experiment with materials and learn how things go together. They are learning about the physical characteristics of objects. Children explore and examine the functions and properties of objects. By exploring objects and materials, children are discovering how they work. Functional play emerges in infancy and continues throughout childhood when there are new objects to explore. When the environment offers materials and objects that are interesting and challenging, children’s curiosity increases, and they are motivated to explore.
Constructive Play
Constructive play involves building structures or other creations with various materials such as blocks, recycled large or small cardboard boxes, or tubes. The complexity of constructive play is related to the availability of materials that stimulate creativity and access to the tools with which to execute ideas. In constructive play, children can transform open-ended materials such as planks, pipes, water, sand, netting, tarpaulins, barrels, large plastic water containers, and plastic milk crates.
Socio-dramatic Play
Socio-dramatic play contributes to children’s literacy and numeracy acquisition, problem-solving, and social skills. Children set tasks and goals through a narrative structure and increasingly complex language. The use of narrative and oral language are linked to later reading comprehension. Socio-dramatic play deeply involves children as they try out a variety of roles and scenarios that require joint planning, perspective-taking, and mental representation. It helps expand children’s understanding that others have their own beliefs, desires, and intentions. Dramatic play is often influenced by popular culture as children incorporate cultural practices and ideas into their play.
Games with Rules
In play that involves a game with specified rules, children must understand and agree to the rules for the play to be successful. Younger children require simpler rules. Older children often enjoy the challenge of more complex rules. Games with rules help children concentrate, understand limits, and manage their behavior to conform to the rules. Two major types of games with rules are table games and physical or movement games.
Physically Active Play
- Physically Active Play
- Outdoor Play
- Big Body Play
Play has the potential to foster the development of the following skills in children:
- Communication
- Social skills
- Independence
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Imagination
- Curiosity
- Persistence
- Perspective taking
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Reading
- Writing
- Numeracy
- Digital literacy
- Cross-cultural understanding
- Fine motor
- Gross motor
