Running Head: Play Essay

CHDV 110
Principles and Practices

Play Essay

Name: Michelle Iaquinta

Date: 6 May 2013
Instructor: Sandy Visser
Victor Valley College

Running Head: Play Essay

Children at a young age are constantly learning and developing. Since everything is new
to a child, he or she learns things that cannot be taught. What is the major cause of childs
development? Play is the major contributor of development. Children learn every day through
play because a child is surrounded by new things. According to Feeney, play is the ultimate
realization of the early childhood educators maxim of learning by doing, (Feeney, 2013, p.
403). Children always are occupied and entertained with everything he or she does. A childs
surrounding can be the main source of play. The concept of play helps a child support his or her
cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.
Play helps the growth of cognitive development through creativity and the use of motor
skills. The first play area was the Art Center. This area had different colors of paper and paints
for children to use. According to Feeney, in play children learn to set goals, plan how to
proceed, develop the ability to focus, and create ways to organize [his or her] approach to
cognitive tasks, (Feeney, 2013, p. 417). The goal was to make a painting using different colors
or one color only. During this activity, a child uses creativity and motor skills to create a
drawing. Creating different shapes and sizes involves hand and eye coordination. The child
learns how much to squeeze the right amount of paint out of the bottle, in order to not ruin the
picture. The child sets a goal to draw a picture and concentrates to finish the drawing.
During play, children learn coordination which supports physical development. The
following play area was the Flexi Blocks. This area consisted of legos that could bend upward or
downwards. The blocks come in different colors and sizes. According to Feeney, sensory
awareness is gained as [he or she] handle the blocks, feel the texture, and note the grain of the
wood, (Feeney, 2013, p. 417). When a child plays with the legos, he or she learn and remember
the characteristics of the blocks. He or she also learn how to match the correct blocks together.

Running Head: Play Essay

According to Feeney, small muscles are developed as [he or she] decorate the building,
(Feeney, 2013, p. 417). While he or she uses his or her hands and fingers to match the blocks, it
supports physical development. A child learns how to coordinate the different blocks to create a
bridge, for example. He or she can also learn how stack the blocks up accordingly to the
appropriate blocks, to create the bridge.
Social development is gained through cooperation and imagination during play. The next
play area was the Food and Menus. This area consisted of menus, plates, utensils, and plastic
food. Children learn how to communicate with friends and learn how to use the utensils.
Children learn how to communicate with fellow classmates. According to Feeney, [he or she]
plan, negotiate, and share responsibility and leadership, (Feeney, 2013, p. 409). Role play helps
a child with creativity. The children choose who will be the waiter, the server, and the customer.
He or she can also learn how to add the prices of the food together. Play involves communicating
with others to come to a solution. This helps a child with problem solving, such as deciding who
is going to play what.
Throughout a childs emotional development, children learn how to gain skills during
play. The last play area was the Wild Animals. This area consisted of different animals and logs
to create stables for the animals. Children can learn the different animals and how to classify the
animals by groups. The logs help him or her categorize the animals by group. According to
Feeney, children at play feel they are in control of [his or her] world, practicing important skills
that lead them to a sense of mastery over [his or her] environment and [his or herself], (Feeney,
2013, p. 415). Children like a sense of independence to be able to practice mastering a skill. The
skill he or she is mastering is making stables for the animals. According to Feeney, a sense of
competence is gained as the children create the building and accomplish the task in cooperation

Running Head: Play Essay

with friends, (Feeney, 2013, p. 417). While a child plays with the animals and logs, he or she is
supporting emotional development.
Social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development are gained through play. Play is
the main reason for these four development domains. All of the examples stated show how a
child learns through play. During play, children are practicing coordination, imagination, motor
skills, and cooperation. Children learn hands-on how, which helps with development. The
different play areas showed how a child can learn through play. By playing with legos, a child
can learn by using his or her coordination. Painting and drawing can activate a childs motor
skills. Creating stables for animals can help a child master certain skills. Role play with food and
menus can help a child learn how to socialize with friends. All of these examples are play.
Children learn through play because it happens every day.

Running Head: Play Essay

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Reference

Feeney, S., Moravcik, E., & Nolte, S. (2013). Who Am I in the Lives of Children? (Ninth ed.).
Washington D.C.: Pearson Education.