CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Virtually every child, the world over, plays. The drive to play is so intense that children will do so when they have no real toys, when parents do not actively encourage the behavior, and even in the middle of a war zone. In the eyes of a young child, running, pretending, and building are fun. Researchers and educators know that these playful activities benefit the development of the whole child across social, cognitive, physical, and emotional domains. Indeed, play is such an instrumental component to healthy child development that the American Academy of Pediatrics (Ginsburg, 2007) issued a white paper on the topic, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2009) named play as a central component in developmentally appropriate educational practices, and the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights (1989) recognized play as a fundamental right of every child. Play may even be the cornerstone of society because it requires communication and cooperation among people playing different roles and following agreed-upon rules.
Research has focused on how our leisure activities can be put to good use in education, business and medicine, and to improve the quality of life for children and adults (Goldstein, 2012). Developments in science and technology have broadened researcher views of play. The flourishing of ‘cognitive neuroscience’ (the study of the relationships between brain activity, thinking and acting) has led to new insights into the role of biology and the brain in play and toy preferences. The importance of play for mind and body has been well-documented (Goldstein, 2012). Play presents children with a particularly strong opportunity for growth because it meets the needs of the whole, individual child. All domains of children’s development – cognitive, social, emotional, and physical –are intricately intertwined. Play benefits each of these skills in direct and indirect ways.
Children learn and practice cognitive skills including language, problem solving, creativity, and self regulation. Socio-emotional growth can be seen in children’s ability to interact with others, negotiate, and compromise. They also practice strategies to cope with fear, anger, and frustration. Moreover, block building, drawing, running, and jumping all contribute to the development of fine and gross motor skills. When children have the chance to direct their own learning through play, they are able to address their own immediate and developmental needs and find activities that are most conducive to their individual learning styles. In play, children develop a lasting disposition to learn. Having control over the course of one’s own learning, as in free play, promotes desire, motivation, and mastery (Erikson, 1985; Hurwitz, 2003). Some research just stops you in your tracks. They found that baby vervet monkeys display sex differences in play styles and toy preferences that mirror those of human children. So it is not only parents’ behavior and marketing that produce boys’ and girls’ different toy preferences. Hormones and genes also influence children’s play. It seems that males, human and nonhuman, are attracted to toys that move. People play because it is fun. One of the many ways in which play is healthy is that it results in positive emotions, and these may promote long-term health in the early stage of the child. Even if it did not do this, play improves the quality of life children feel good while playing. Play has a major contribution to make in keeping a littler infant healthy (Geriannme, Teressa & Rebecca, 2009).Active play has the paradoxical eect of increasing attention span and improving the efficiency of thinking and problem solving. Two hours of active play per day may help reduce attention deficits and hyperactivity of the children in a formal setting. The most striking thing about hi-tech toys is that the technology does not in itself drive play. Some modern toys can interact with other toys, with iPads and computers, and can recognize your voice and learn your commands. Yet much of their potential is overlooked by players (Zlatka, 2011). Many children play with these toys in traditional ways. In this they resemble adults who make limited use of their computer soware, learning how to do what they want to do with their computers and ignoring the many features that are of less interest. Children also learn how to seek out knowledge; play involves exploration, hypothesis testing, and discovery. What is more, all this is done in a safe, anxiety- and risk-free environment where children are free to test the limits of their knowledge and abilities with relatively few repercussions (Hirsch-Pasek & Golinko, 2003).
They learn to have confidence in their ability to solve a problem, and they become resilient in the face of a challenge (Erikson, 1985; Hurwitz, 2003; Pepler & Ross, 1981). Play builds the foundation for a lifetime of learning. In the Western world, nearly everyone believes that children benefit from free play. Research confirms that children’s self-initiated play nurtures overall development, not just cognitive development (such as learning to name colors, numbers or shapes). Abundant research has shown that play during early childhood is necessary if humans are to reach their full potential. Parents, teachers and government bodies all recognize the value of play (Peter,2011).Yet opportunities for play continue to diminish, with fewer play spaces, less freedom to roam outdoors, and decreasing school time for free play. The case for play is clear, now the question is what we do to ensure that children get the play they need and deserve. Due to the importance of play in aiding the development of children in their Holistic development. This study will add to the compendium of knowledge by investigating into the content and procedures of Play Strategies for Holistic Development in Pre-School Children.
