This is Emily, the author of our first entry on chapter 7. She said, "I combined dressup and playing with play dough, two of my favorite activities, while I was visiting my grandmother. I was around 4 when this picture was taken." You'll see in Emily's entry here that, not only did she get to engage in some great play as a child, but she feels passionately about the importance of play in the lives of all children. Enjoy! Children spend a large portion of childhood playing games. Games help develop socialization, cooperation and competitive skills. As children get older they have less time to spend engaging in self-initiated play.
Elkind discusses three classifications that childhood games fit into. Games are considered steady, recurrent or new. Steady games are “continuous over time like cards and hide-and-seek” (p. 147). Recurrent games “disappear and then reappear at a later time” (p. 147). New games arise from “new stories or films” (p. 147). An example would be Cartoon Tag because it is based on the most current cartoon programs that children watch. Over time games may vary, but the basic goals of steady or recurrent games stay the same. For example the goal of hide-and-seek is to be the last person found by the seeker. Changes may occur in location or a tag aspect may be added to the game, but the goal is still the same.
According to Elkind, games “provide a set of rules that govern how to behave under certain circumstances” (p. 148). Children have to decide the person to be “it,” where bases are located, and other aspects pertaining to how the game operates. The ability to determine how a game will function helps children develop leadership and cooperation skills. Elkind suggests teaching young people to “compete with themselves and cooperate with others…[which helps focus them on] improving… [their] own performance rather than besting another child” (p. 160). I have mixed feelings about Elkind’s belief on this matter. I believe children should focus on improving themselves, but learning to compete with others is also important. For example: As adults they must compete with others for promotions at work. If they never learn to compete with others as children they may not be able to advance in society. I agree with Elkind because too much competition has the ability to breed added aggression and animosity among children.
Elkind discusses changes that occur in relation to kinship play during middle childhood. Thinking about the way children tend to interact solely with same sex children reminded me of the friends that I had during middle childhood. Many of Elkind’s ideas about the rules that children develop for interaction applied when I was a young child. I surrounded myself mostly with female friends. While I did have male friends, I rarely interacted with them unless I was with at least one of my female friends. Recalling the interactions of other age groups, similar to mine, closely resembled the interactions that I experienced with my friends.
Through games, children develop different types of rule mastery: age, moral, and verbal. I believe that mastering rules is an invaluable skill for children because as they age and gain understanding about the creation of rules, they are better able to function in society. Society is based on rules. Children who understand the importance and need for rules are more likely to succeed in school, friendships, and are better prepared for adult interactions.
I agree with Elkind’s thoughts regarding playacting and therapeutic play. It is important for children to try different roles that are both positive and negative, so that they are able to grasp the idea of what is involved in each role. Having space to play is essential as is developing a sense of belonging among peers. These developmental aspects commonly advance through play.
Adults commonly overlook the importance of childhood games. Elkind believes that adults only notice children’s games when they annoy them. Adults should pay more attention to the amount of time that their children are spending playing games. Games advance development of imperative skills, and allow children to socialize with one another. Adults should recognize that today’s children are losing playtime and simplify children’s schedules to allow more time for play.
You have pointed out one of the things Elkind said that also really resonated with me -- that "it is important for children to try different roles that are both positive and negative." Putting ourselves in others' shoes, even as adults, is hard. Dramatic play experiences as children -- when we're so much more egocentric! -- can be so very influential in helping us learn to do that. And, wow...just look at all the fighting going on in our political system lately...I wonder if dramatic play works for adults, too.... :)
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteI agree with play being very theurapeutic. I believe, especially in sociodramatic play, that children have the opportunity to step outside of themselves and their comfort zone to play a "character." I think this sort of play is very benefical for a variety of reasons. One important reason this type of sociodramatic play is important is because it allows children to act out roles they see other important people in their lives play. We have definitely learned the importance of Social Learning Theory and the benefits of modeling and imitating observed behaviors. This is why I feel so strongly about being positive role models in children's lives! How they observe you playing "Mom" is how they will model and imitate the behaviors they believe are important for Mom's to have. Another important reason for this type of therapeutic, "acting out" play is sometimes kids are afraid to express certain emotions or feelings in fear of getting in trouble. I believe, that when engaged in this play, it a lot of times opens children up to express how they are really feeling because they are not themselves at that moment. They may feel more liberated because they are now "in character."
Mallory Melnar
Emily,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fun topic to write about because it brings back a lot of memories of my early childhood. Growing up we always had several board games in our closet that were covered with dust. What really stunk about it though was that my brother is twelve years older than me and playing board games with your little sister wasn’t really viewed as a cool thing to do. On the other hand, it allowed me to have one-on-one time with my mom who otherwise was mostly absent throughout my childhood. The two games that my mom and I would mostly play were Monopoly and Candy land. Monopoly wasn’t the most kid friendly game considering that it dealt with money and the buying and selling of property. The cool thing about Monopoly was that even though I didn’t understand exactly how to play the game, I could still use the pieces to make up my own game. I used to have this Fisher Price play-kitchen and I would use the play money to pretend that I was a grocery store attendant. I was able to make up my own rules and I remember my mother pretending to understand those rules event though at some points they made no sense.
At school I remember that children had the same kind of made up rules that I did which made play time enjoyable because we were able to make up our own rules together. We didn’t have to listen to teachers and their “lame” rules that made no sense to us. The only bad thing about this was that I was extremely gullible as a child and I would believe anything someone said to me. Often times, children would get me in a lot of trouble because I would follow their rules that were often in violation of the school’s rules. Overall Emily I love your blog because I strongly believe that children can easily govern themselves and teach each other through their own made up rules. I think that is why my favorite childhood book is Lord of the Flies.
Sincerely,
Sarah McCarthy
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on chapter 7 of Elkind's play book. Specifically, your thoughts on Elkind's belief regarding children learning different types of therapeutic play and that they should learn competition at some point in order to prepare them for the "real world." I think that children should learn all aspects of play as it definitely helps prepare them for further development. When I was a child I loved to play "school" with my little sister, tetherball at school, and I loved to read books so I had a variety of play in my childhood.
I also think children learn competition because positive and negative things exist in the world. I particularly believe that children should learn to compete because they need to learn that there may be times when they lose as well. When I was in elementary school one of my favorite games to play was four square. I remember some of my classmates being extremely angry and throwing tantrums if they were out until the next round. So, I agree with you that kids should learn to be competitive and there should be a balance of positive and negative. Some kids can be too competive and not know how to handle a loss.
LaToya Brooks
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI loved your perspective on the subject. I find it fascinating that through play and games we prepare ourselves to what society has in store for us as adults. I think that all types of games are very important in our social development. We learn how to have fun while having set boundaries and limits. Not only is play important for social and cognitive development but it also serves as a medium for fun and exploration for children. In other words, games keep kids from sitting down with a big bag of Twinkies while watching t.v. Games are important for the health of children because I feel it stimulates them in a positive way.
Anel Vargas-Diaz
W- 5:00 pm
Emily,
ReplyDeleteYour blog entry has brought me back to my childhood, completely! My family was all about board games and dramatic play. One of my favorite games to play, with my younger brother and our cousins, was Charades. We all loved writing things down, throwing them into a hat, acting them out and having our families try to guess what it was that we were trying to act out. I agree that different types of play can be great for young children and it can also help them in the long run as adults. Children need to experience what competition is like and they need to experience what it feels like to win or lose. When they experience these feelings I truly believe that they will have a more realistic outlook on life as adults. When they grow up and are thrown into the real world, they will know what it feels like to win or lose and they will then know how to cope appropriately with whatever situation they have gotten into. Great blog entry, Emily!
- Katie Gutierrez