PS100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Childhood Obesity
Developmental Psychology - Week 5 - Tutorial 5 - The Role of Play
Explore how play equipment influences play and development
- Play is important to a child’s development as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and their
emotional well-being.
- Play offers an opportunity for parents to engage with their children.
- Playing is one of the most important things a parent can do with their child.
- Helps the child to build confidence, develop social skills, language and communication, learn about
caring for others, develop physical skills and connect and refine pathways in their brains as they
explore and learn.
- Play enhances a child’s development and learning as they engage with their environment by exploring
and using their imagination (Kenneth R. Ginsburg, 2007).
- Play is also an important part of socialisation as children have opportunities to play with other children.
By playing with other children, a child can learn how to play as a group and learn how to share and
work together.
- Playgrounds provide space and structure for children’s socialisation, imaginative play and physical
activity.
- Playgrounds should encourage physical activity, social interaction, creativity and problem solving, as
well as contact and interaction with nature.
- Encouraging physical active play among children may help combat rising childhood obesity levels,
promote emotional well being, and encourage a positive mood.
- Playgrounds placed in school and public environments have proven to increase children’s physical
activity, thus assisting in the development of their motor skills (Wood, 2010).
- Playgrounds offer infants, toddlers and children a base for simple motor exercise and play, and
provide an environment to foster these skills.
- Critical space is provided to give children the opportunity to move and run around, developing their
motor skills, ultimately encouraging the next stage of development.
- Outdoor play on playgrounds can provide different opportunities to stimulate age appropriate
physical development.
- This could include bridges and ramps, to promote motor skills, as well as slides and swings to promote
balance and coordination (Duerr, 2015).
- Outdoor play offers support for children to:
Experience new physical challenges
Develop strength and stamina
use large muscles and fine muscles in new ways
express themselves verbally with different voice levels
engage in problem solving during outdoor play
physically interact with peers by chasing, talking, and playing
appreciate nature and protect the environment.
Discussion Questions
- Do you think that more government money should be put forward to place more areas of play for
children around their local areas?
Do you think there should be programs available to introduce more children to play areas so they can
interact with their surroundings, carers, and the children around them, developing their social, physical and
cognitive skills? If so, what type of programs do you suggest?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Developmental psychology - week 5 - tutorial 5 - the role of play. Explore how play equipment influences play and development. Play is important to a child"s development as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and their emotional well-being. Play offers an opportunity for parents to engage with their children. Playing is one of the most important things a parent can do with their child. Helps the child to build confidence, develop social skills, language and communication, learn about caring for others, develop physical skills and connect and refine pathways in their brains as they explore and learn. Play enhances a child"s development and learning as they engage with their environment by exploring and using their imagination (kenneth r. ginsburg, 2007). Play is also an important part of socialisation as children have opportunities to play with other children.
