Reading Critique - Research Paper Example

Psychologists ascertain that the environment play an instrumental role in molding the behavior of the children at this particular time. For this reason, it is important to ensure that the children are exposed to situations that would enhance their growth and development rather than undermine their entire wellbeing. It is against this background that this paper evaluates the concept of early childhood in light of the provided texts. In his research, Diessner (2007, p. 43) indicates that children develop better in a social environment.

He cites Parten who documents the behavior of pre-school children. In this regard, the author argues that the pre-school children have six classes of play. The first is the unoccupied play that occurs when the respective child performs certain random movements or simply stays in one stationary place and watches the other children perform the play. In the solitary type of play, the child is independent and maintains his or her focus on a particular activity. The onlooker behavior pertains to the child who does not participate in any activity but rather looks at others when they engage in play.

With the parallel play, the child maintains a close association with the playmates but does not actively participate in the particular play. Rather, she or he merely watches them as they play and in some cases, tries to mimic them. There is also the associative play in which the child shows interest in the participants of the play and not the play itself. The cooperative play on the other hand is defined by the child showing interest in the participants of the play as well as the play or game itself.

Play in this respect is an important social activity that allows the child to attain a level of self identification. Diessner (2007, p. 57) maintains that as a child grows and engages in play, they improve their communication skills and explore various opportunities that enable them to maintain peer interaction. From his point of view, Guest (2010, p. 43) further indicates that to obtain optimal outcomes, children need to be allowed to interact more with their peers rather than their parents.

Peers as well as social groups reportedly have a greater influence on the development of the child in almost all aspect. These categories of individuals provide a supportive and comfortable environment for the child to explore different opportunities. Fundamentally, children are more creative and ambitious when they play in environments that are relaxed. The presence of an adult can therefore be inhibitive and can compromise their ability to use their creativity to resolve the problems as well as challenges that they encounter during play.

Conversely, parents or adults matter in the child’s play because of the oversight role that they play. Gardner on the other hand asserts that parents are indeed important in children’s play. In his review, Santrock (2010, p. 72) indicates that parents provide guidance and a sense of security when watching over the children as they play. A child whose security is assured from this point of view can be more creative than his or her counterpart. The later may be afraid of environments of scenarios that s/he perceives to be dangerous.

This can greatly inhibit growth and development particularly because the ability to make new discoveries is compromised. In his psychological theory, Piaglet appreciated the employment of objects in determining how the children perceive space (Diessner, 2007, p. 64). Findings in this regard ascertain that