Analytic Commentary on Observation of Child Playfulness - Coursework Example

ANALYTIC COMMENTARY ON OBSERVATION OF CHILD PLAYFULNESS/NONSENSE BY The five-year-two-months-old child observed for children’s pretend play, Patrick, used humor of language and word play to create nonsense rhyme. Patrick, with the help of his parents created a rhyme for the rain to go away. Afterwards, he created a rhyme on his own in which he rhymed the sounds made by the falling drops of rains. Throughout the word play, Patrick’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens encouraged Patrick by clapping for him and praising him. To some extent music, language, dance, chant, poetry and pretend play have a similar beginning (Trevarthen 2002). All are modalities for creating meaning (Alcock & Cullen 2008). They are languages entailing representation, movement and interpersonal communication (Trevarthen 2002). The present scenario helps in the exploration of an expanded understanding of language development and early education that emphasizes the use of humor of language and word play to create nonsense rhyme. The scenario basically observes Patrick’s unrestrained and musical play with words, sounds and tunes. Patrick’s wordplay and rhyme as suggested by Chukovsky (1963) is an infinite need of every healthy child of every time period and every country to initiate nonsense into his small but organized world with which he has only recently become familiar. Language play is the central focus of parent-child communication. It can be observed in the unique language behavior which illustrates most of the parents’ talking to infants; attributes including different pitch variations, rhythmical sounds and uncomplicated repetitive sentence patters. It is also visible in the early play activities, in which significant pleasure is taken by all participants in creating a dynamic language that complements the patterns of visual and physical contact. Therefore, due the amount of importance placed on language play in child-directed speech during the early years of life, it is expected to be the fundamental element in later language development (Molino 2001). Therefore, Patrick’s parents are prompting him throughout the scenario by first suggesting that why does Patrick want the rain to be stopped and afterwards asking him to sing a rhyme for the rain to go away and also encouraging him for his performance in the word play. Rhythm is an essential element of both musical language and oral language (Alcock & Cullen 2008). It is also an important aspect in young individuals’ language behavior. Non-verbal, oral and musical dimensions of communication are incorporated as children establish both (emotional) sense and (cognitive) meaning from words (Alcock & Cullen 2008). From a Vygotskian perspective, words hold both personal and social connotation (Vygotsky 1986). Words, with pitch and beat, connect people as social beings. Musical rhymes, songs and actions result in children’s interaction and association with other children and the world (Vygotsky 1986). Furthermore, they illustrate young children’s social playfulness and connect children communicatively (Dissanayake 2001). For children, words are tools to play with, or toys (Dissanayake 2001). The scenario demonstrates that the rhyme and the wordplay by Patrick is way for him to communicate his feelings to his parents. Children improvise with words mischievously, and in the process they practice early language skills while developing a cognitively complex rhyming description (Loizou 2005). The rhymes created by Patrick tell a story. The musically chanted tone by Patrick during the first instance suggests that Patrick himself wants to play outside by associating himself with the little rabbit. The rhyming sounds of the raindrops conveyed feelings of repetition, representative of the ritualistic rain dropping sounds. Playfulness using word plays and rhymes appears to free up thinking, allowing children to practice and improvise within a mutual zone of proximal development, changing words and meanings while creating new rhymes (El’konin 2000). From a sociocultural approach the continuous rhyming word-play, like continuous pretend play, helps the internalization process through which children establish and internalize understandings through replication and practice (El’konin 2000). Patrick, in the present scenario improvised and creatively learned about the structures, meanings and aesthetics of language in communication. Furthermore, he created his own set of words in order to rhyme words with each other validating free thinking and improvisation in wordplay. At Patrick’s age, children start using each other’s word play language as prompts for further variation (Bruner 1984). This is exemplified in the present scenario as it was Mrs. Stevens who put forward the rain as the starting word and then Patrick took it forward by creating a rhyme out of it. Children might modify the initial sounds, sometimes to make real words, sometimes unreal words as in this case; Patrick changed the rhyme from ‘little children want to play’ to ‘little rabbit wants to play’. Furthermore, at this age, the word play becomes much more sophisticated in the scenario; Patrick initially questions himself quite seriously as to why the rain cannot be stopped. To answer his question his parents suggested that he use a rhyme to make the rain go away and provided him with a word. He used the word to sing the rhyme and make variations accordingly. The parent-involvement in the present scenario in the child’s word play suggests that daily routines are important situations for developing children’s early language learning by constantly encouraging their play with words and rhythm (Alcock 2008). Mr. and Mrs. Stevens became a part of Patrick’s word play because as mentioned previously, they were the ones who initiated the play by suggesting that he start with the word ‘rain’. Both the parents enjoyed Patrick’s musical, rhythmic, communicative play with words, and hence became a part of the important aspect of verbal and early education of Patrick, such as his phonemic awareness and language development. Similarly, during the second instance when Patrick created a rhyme with the different sounds made by raindrops he creates a relationship between humor and language play because as suggested by Bruner (1984) that language is most brave and most complex when used in language play. This is clearly visible in the rhyme created by Patrick in which he used proper words such as ‘dap’, ‘do’ ‘dot’ and nonsense words to such as ‘drap’, ‘dop’, ‘da’. Siblings play a vital part in the development of children’s understanding of others’ minds, especially their understanding of emotions, thoughts, objectives and beliefs (Brown et al. 1996). Young siblings who participate in regular pretend play display a superior understanding of others’ emotions and are more probable to create shared meanings in play (Brown et al. 1996). But, as Patrick is the only child, therefore, it is important for the parents to participate actively in his word and pretend plays because pretend play and guided play not only provide strong support for academic and social learning but it also plays an important part in nurturing social skills and children’s ability to deal with their own behavior and emotions (Garvey 1991). Furthermore, pretend play using language or word play and creating nonsense rhymes enhances the child’s capability to excel in school and actively participate in class activities as teachers make use of word plays and rhymes for early literacy development. On the other hand, Garvey (1991) suggests that in private language excursions the child becomes conscious of the structural attributes of his language and ever more skilled in the fluent creation of normal speech. He tests with the different elements componential of sentences along with their rhythmic possibilities. Thus, even though children participating in word plays with other individuals enhance their linguistic abilities but these abilities can also be improved when the child is alone. Play with language almost always results in laughter and a lot of children’s earliest efforts to humor involve language or nonsense play (Benson & Haith 2009). Babies get pleasure from playing with the sounds of language and toddlers and preschoolers enjoy taking part in language chants and playful rhythmic interactions with peers and family members (Benson & Haith 2009). Although these humor-related behaviors with language might appear non-serious, through their elaboration and repetition, children are also practicing the different dimensions of language (Benson & Haith 2009). Young children’s sound and word play in chanting or rhyming is generally accompanied with spells of laughter but it also provides a way to practice syntactic forms of language (Benson & Haith 2009). They also play with meanings of language and create words to communicate their ideas, as well as use language as a significant component of their play (Benson & Haith 2009). Undeniably, most of the language culture of early childhood is intentionally used to cause laughter (Benson & Haith 2009). This is exemplified in the present scenario where Patrick turned the rhyme into a humorous rhyme due to his creativity. Similarly, using ridiculous words made Patrick extremely happy with himself as he moved away from the usual use of language forms to unexpected contexts. In addition, language and word play encourages a sense of togetherness and cohesiveness as musically rhythmic chant and sung rhyme connects children with individuals they are performing with (Hannikainen 2001). For example, in the present scenario, Patrick’s parents initiated the first rhyme and praised him immensely on completing it. Similarly, at the start of the second rhyme he asked his mother to look at him singing the rhyme. Thus, word play not only enhances language development in children, it also supports the parent-child relationship. The sense of togetherness and cohesiveness that children learn at home can also be employed at school while performing different activities. This would help children not only excel at school but also experience social advantages especially by being better liked by peers. Words, incorporated with rhythm, melody and movement, stand out as mediating artifacts in the present scenario. Words are instruments for playing, and meaning develops from the use of words. Words are also crucial instruments for thinking, learning and making sense and meaning of the world. Rhythm is essential to these arts. The rhythm that is uttered musically, in word-play and poetry, is the central theme in the children’s playfulness. Word play and rhymes can assist parents and teachers in helping children improve their vocabulary, support the development of phonemic awareness and setting the foundation for a love of words that is both aesthetic and useful in enhancing children’s developing communicative patterns. Similarly, rhymes and language play can help practitioners work with children with language disorders. Thus, wordplay can empower children as dynamic members of a community able to transform and re-create words, sounds, meanings and feelings once again. References Alcock, S 2008, ‘Young children being rhythmically playful: creating musike together’, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 328-338 Alcock, S & Cullen, J, 2008, Wordplay and musike: young children learning literacy while communicating playfully’, Australian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 1-9. Benson, JB & Haith, MM, 2009, ‘Social and emotional development in infancy and early childhood’, Academic Press, United States of America. Brown, JR, Donelan-McCall, N & Dunn, J 1996, ‘Why talk about mental states? The significance of children’s conversations with friends, siblings, and mothers’, Child Development, vol. 67, pp. 836–849. Bruner, J 1984, ‘Language, mind and reading’, In Goelman, H, Oberg, A, & Smith, F, (Eds.), Awakening to literacy, Heinemann, Exeter. Chukovsky, K 1963, ‘From two to five’, University of California Press, Berkeley. Dissanayake, E 2001, ‘Antecedents of the temporal arts in early mother–infant interaction’, In Wallin, N, Merker, B & Brown, S, (Eds.), The origins of music (pp. 389-410). The MIT Press, Cambridge. El’konin, DB 2000, ‘The development of play in preschoolers’, Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, vol. 37, no. 6, pp. 31-70. Garvey, C 1991, ‘Play’, Fontana Press, United States of America. Hannikainen, M 2001, ‘Playful actions as a sign of togetherness in day care centers’, International Journal of Early Years Education, vol. 9, no. 2. Retrieved November 25, 2010, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/713670684 Loizou, E 2005, ‘Humor: a different kind of play’, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, vol. 13, no. 2. Retrieved November 25, 2010, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13502930585209701 Molino, J 2001, ‘Toward an evolutionary theory of music and language’, In Wallin, N, Merker, B & Brown, S, (Eds.), The origins of music (pp.165-176). MIT Press, Cambridge. Trevarthen, C 2002, ‘Origins of musical identity: evidence from infancy for musical social awareness’, In MacDonald, R, Hargreaves, D & Miell, D, (Eds.), Musical identities (pp. 21-38). Oxford University Press, Oxford. Vygotsky, LS 1986, ‘Thought and language’, MIT Press, Cambridge. Read More

Children improvise with words mischievously, and in the process they practice early language skills while developing a cognitively complex rhyming description (Loizou 2005). The rhymes created by Patrick tell a story. The musically chanted tone by Patrick during the first instance suggests that Patrick himself wants to play outside by associating himself with the little rabbit. The rhyming sounds of the raindrops conveyed feelings of repetition, representative of the ritualistic rain dropping sounds.

Playfulness using word plays and rhymes appears to free up thinking, allowing children to practice and improvise within a mutual zone of proximal development, changing words and meanings while creating new rhymes (El’konin 2000). From a sociocultural approach the continuous rhyming word-play, like continuous pretend play, helps the internalization process through which children establish and internalize understandings through replication and practice (El’konin 2000). Patrick, in the present scenario improvised and creatively learned about the structures, meanings and aesthetics of language in communication.

Furthermore, he created his own set of words in order to rhyme words with each other validating free thinking and improvisation in wordplay. At Patrick’s age, children start using each other’s word play language as prompts for further variation (Bruner 1984). This is exemplified in the present scenario as it was Mrs. Stevens who put forward the rain as the starting word and then Patrick took it forward by creating a rhyme out of it. Children might modify the initial sounds, sometimes to make real words, sometimes unreal words as in this case; Patrick changed the rhyme from ‘little children want to play’ to ‘little rabbit wants to play’.

Furthermore, at this age, the word play becomes much more sophisticated in the scenario; Patrick initially questions himself quite seriously as to why the rain cannot be stopped. To answer his question his parents suggested that he use a rhyme to make the rain go away and provided him with a word. He used the word to sing the rhyme and make variations accordingly. The parent-involvement in the present scenario in the child’s word play suggests that daily routines are important situations for developing children’s early language learning by constantly encouraging their play with words and rhythm (Alcock 2008). Mr. and Mrs.

Stevens became a part of Patrick’s word play because as mentioned previously, they were the ones who initiated the play by suggesting that he start with the word ‘rain’. Both the parents enjoyed Patrick’s musical, rhythmic, communicative play with words, and hence became a part of the important aspect of verbal and early education of Patrick, such as his phonemic awareness and language development. Similarly, during the second instance when Patrick created a rhyme with the different sounds made by raindrops he creates a relationship between humor and language play because as suggested by Bruner (1984) that language is most brave and most complex when used in language play.

This is clearly visible in the rhyme created by Patrick in which he used proper words such as ‘dap’, ‘do’ ‘dot’ and nonsense words to such as ‘drap’, ‘dop’, ‘da’. Siblings play a vital part in the development of children’s understanding of others’ minds, especially their understanding of emotions, thoughts, objectives and beliefs (Brown et al. 1996). Young siblings who participate in regular pretend play display a superior understanding of others’ emotions and are more probable to create shared meanings in play (Brown et al. 1996). But, as Patrick is the only child, therefore, it is important for the parents to participate actively in his word and pretend plays because pretend play and guided play not only provide strong support for academic and social learning but it also plays an important part in nurturing social skills and children’s ability to deal with their own behavior and emotions (Garvey 1991).

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