The Significance of Play in Child Development - Case Study Example

Your full April 13, The Significance of Play in Child Development Introduction Play work is a very efficient way of addressing the emotional and physical needs of children, as they learn new ideas and skills. The development of children can be “stimulated both by providing opportunity for children to learn on their own in play and by interacting in which the adults deliberately teach something” (Dhingra, Manhas and Raina 21). This paper explains the importance of play on child emotional and physical development. The paper is dedicated to fortifying the importance of play through the description of a case study of a 5 year old girl named Rose. A multi-agency team, consisting of a play worker, a nursery nurse, and a teaching assistant, worked with Rose to help her come out of her emotional trauma. Fun tools available to the kids and the types of play activities were observed, along with special consideration given to the team’s supervision and other adults’ direct or indirect contribution in play activities. The team saw positive outcomes. The paper is an important addition to research regarding the importance of play. Case Study Description The case study involved a 5 year old girl named Rose, whose 9 year old brother had died of asthma. She had been suffering from stress and depression since the death of her elder brother. This was hindering with her psycho-social development. Her curricular and extra-curricular activities had started getting affected. She had also been avoiding meeting people, including her parents and peers. She is reported to have been very social before the death of her brother. A brief explanation of her condition would be that she was suffering from emotional trauma because of loss of a dear one. To deal with her emotional state, and to make her feel and act better by introducing play to her daily routine, the school called in a multi-agency team, which included a play worker, a teaching assistant, and a nursery nurse. The class teacher also played a little role in making the team understand the whole scenario and work with Rose. The professionals involved had prior experience of working with mentally ill children, and thus, they made great efforts in bringing Rose out of her trauma. They were highly trained in providing the children with a play space, where they could play independently and confidently. According to the multi-agency team and the play worker the school hired, it was necessary to enable the child to enhance her play experience by providing her with a rich play environment. Thus, their objective was not to play with Rose, but in motivating her to play by initiating joy in her and the activity she engaged in. How the team worked The team conducted the play work according to the description provided by Bonel and Lindon (15) in their book. According to them, there is difference between play and play work in that play is exclusively a child’s activity in which he plays freely without any supervision; however, play work is about providing him such an environment where he is safe to play “ in the supervised play setting” (15). His play is not disturbed; rather, the play worker intervenes when required to enhance the play experience. Likewise, the multi-agency team and the play worker first made sure that the environment was free of risk for Rose to play. The play setting was inside the school at the reception class, where many kinds of interactive physical resources and open-ended materials were made available for Rose to use, for example, interactive keyboards, flashcards, ropes, charts, colors, and toys. The play area was decorated with cartoon figures and colorful paintings. Hand work was decorated, which included puppets, birds, butterflies, and many other colorful themes. One corner was dedicated to balloons to make the play area all the more attractive. The environment was child-centric, as there were many sorts of play activities available for Rose, such as playing with dough, coloring, trading, jigsaw puzzles, toy slides and swings. Goldstein (10) describes in his book that it is very important for children to get the opportunity to play under joyful circumstances so that they may be able to bring out their proficiencies in the proper manner. The play worker started with an associative play of pretend kitchen, in which Rose was to play with other kids. She was very excited about the toy stove, cooking utensils and toy food. She walked around the table and chair sets. The play worker showed her the maps, colorful carpets, tiny sofas, bright pictures, funny toys like baby dolls, and a baby calendar hanging on the kitchen wall. Rose set tables and chairs, served her friends lunch using toy food, and playing chef, which showed that she was a social child. When she finished serving the food, she picked up the toy broom, and started cleaning the kitchen floor to clear up the mess. This showed that she was getting hold of decision-making. An interesting thing was that she got bored easily, and kept switching from one activity to another. She was not consistent, tried to be social, but easily got frustrated; yet, she liked to explore things and occupied herself with activities that interested her. The play worker and the team let her enjoy to the fullest, without interfering much but intervening whenever Rose needed help or got bored. The team made her feel special for the whole span of play work, which enlightened a spark within Rose’s personality. They made her feel as if she was important, and that people loved her the way she was. The team also focused on implementing strategies for responding to Rose’s emotional needs under Every Child Matters (ECM) Act. ECM requires that the providers should provide a safe environment to children where they can indulge in healthy activities (Department for Education and Skills). There should be a sense of enjoying and achieving in the play area, contributing to the development of self-confidence in children. The team ensured that all these factors were implemented. Outcome The outcome of the play work was that Rose was better able to cope with her emotional distress. She felt comfortable with the team and the play worker, because of which she started expressing her feelings more openly. However, she was more comfortable communicating with the teaching assistant and the play worker rather than with her parents, who were informed about this and were told to enhance communication with their daughter so as to bring her out of her emotional stress. The team found that Rose was basically a social child, who liked listening to stories and answering questions when the teaching assistance asked her what the story was about. Rose also made new friends while the play. This helped her enjoy to her fullest. Finally, it was seen that she was coming out of her emotional trauma, with some recurrence of grief every now and then; however, she was able to cope with the recurring feelings of grief through playing and communicating with the team. Conclusion The paper discussed the importance of play. The discussion was based on the case study of a child, Rose. The multi-agency team helped her come out of her emotional trauma, through the introduction of risk free play in the play setting. She was encouraged to express her feelings and communicate with the team and her peers. Eventually, she started showing fulfillment, and was able to cope with the recurring feelings of grief. The team worked under the concept of upward spiral of grief, while implementing strategies that related to Every Child Matters Act. Hence, the paper proves that play holds great significance in the life of a child. The introduction of play can alleviate stress from the young minds, thus, helping them grow emotionally and physically in the best possible manner. Works Cited Bonel, Paul, Jennie Lindon. “The Nature of Play and Playwork.” Playwork: A Guide to Good Practice. Cheltenham, UK: Nelson Thornes, 2000. Dhingra, Rajni, Manhas, Sarika, and Anita Raina. “Play Pattern in Preschool Setting.” J. Hum. Ecol. 18.1(2005): 21-25. Department for Education and Skills. Every Child Matters: Change for Children in Schools. N.p., 2004. Web. 13 Apr 2015. . Goldstein, Jeffrey H. Toys, Play, and Child Development. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Read More