Meaningful Playtime (eBook)

5.  What are the functions of play?

1. Play helps children navigate and comprehend their world

Play serves as a powerful tool in helping children navigate and comprehend the vast world around them. Through play, children can simulate different scenarios, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of various situations and acquiring a sense of empowerment over their lives. It’s more than just fun; it’s a mechanism for understanding and growth.

For example, as adults, many of us look for breaks or quiet moments to clear our heads. We all know how stress can make it hard to think. Consider when someone is explaining the steps for a new and complicated task at work, like a new accounting procedure with multiple stages. It can quickly become overwhelming. Sometimes, we just want to be alone to go over the steps slowly and figure it out at our own pace. These quiet moments help us sort through information and tackle the task with clarity.

Similarly, children try to understand the world around them. However, their primary way of deciphering complex situations and learning about their environment is through play. Whether it’s through role-playing, building structures, or experimenting with toys, children recreate the scenarios they’ve encountered in their lives. By doing so, they can take in new information, explore cause-and-effect relationships, and even practice problem-solving skills. This practice empowers them to feel confident as they face the real-world situations that inspired their play in the first place.

Let’s see an example:

Sophia, a six-year-old, recently visited a local fire station on a school trip. The experience was filled with awe and wonder as she watched firefighters slide down poles, witnessed the blaring sirens, and even got to sit in the firetruck. It was a day filled with new sights, sounds, and a lot of information.

A few days later, at home, her parents noticed her gathering red toy blocks, her toy doll, and some toy figures. In her play area, Sophia began building what looked like a fire station out of her blocks. She then started to enact a scene where one of her toy figures, representing a firefighter, ‘rescued’ her doll from a ‘fire’. She used a string as the fire pole and even imitated the siren sound she had heard during her trip.

Through this play, Sophia was not just remembering her visit to the fire station. She was actively processing everything she had learned. By recreating the scene, she understood the roles of the firefighters, the purpose of the loud sirens, and the quick actions required during emergencies. Her play allowed her to explore the cause-and-effect relationship – when there’s a fire, the siren goes off, and the firefighters come to the rescue. Furthermore, by being in charge of this play scenario, Sophia felt empowered, practicing the problem-solving she had observed, and confidently navigating a complex situation on her own terms.

2. Play acts as a therapeutic medium for integrating feelings and emotions

Children use play as a means to navigate adversity and comprehend challenging experiences. When words fall short, they turn to play as a means to integrate feelings. Toys become an extension of their emotions, allowing them to showcase worries, dreams, and even guilt, without directing these feelings at themselves or others. This creates a safe emotional distance, ensuring they’re not consumed by their own emotions since it all happens in the realm of make-believe. Through reenacting and sometimes altering distressing scenarios in play, children find a path towards inner peace, gaining the tools they need to navigate and adjust to life’s challenges (Landreth, 1993). By reenacting or narrating these scenarios, children can reshape the narrative, placing themselves in control, which paves the way for emotional recuperation.

Therefore, through the safe haven of play, children find a space to heal and regain their equilibrium. Instead of just thinking about things as adults might, children act out their thoughts and feelings through their games and stories. McMahon (2009: 6) mentioned that “in pretend play children can safely bash, bury and throw away the people they are angry with or frightened of or re-enact something that has happened, perhaps changing the outcome.” Similarly, Erikson (1965: 214-215) believed that when children are upset, play is their way of working things out, stating that children approach play with “whatever aspect of his ego has been ruffled most… To play it out is the most natural self-healing method childhood affords.” Landreth (1993) stated that “play is the child’s symbolic language of self-expression, and for children to play out their experiences and feelings is the most natural, dynamic, and self-healing process in which they can engage”.

Let’s see an example:

James, an eight-year-old boy, was always a bubbly and enthusiastic student. However, recently he started exhibiting signs of anxiety and hesitation, especially when it was time to go to school. His teachers noticed a decline in his participation, and his parents became increasingly concerned after James complained of stomach aches every morning.

Trying to uncover the root cause, his parents realized that James was being teased on the bus by some older students. They were calling him names and making fun of his new glasses. James felt humiliated and dreaded the bus ride every day.

A few days later, his mother walked into his room to find James engrossed in setting up a scene with his toy animals. The ‘lion’ with spectacles was surrounded by a group of ‘hyenas’ that seemed to be laughing and pointing at the lion. However, as she watched, James introduced an ‘elephant’ who came to the lion’s defense, addressing the hyenas about the importance of kindness and the uniqueness of everyone. The lion, though initially downcast, soon stood tall with the help of the elephant, and the scene ended with all the animals playing harmoniously together.

Through this play, James was clearly working through his feelings regarding the teasing. The lion, symbolizing James, felt isolated and ridiculed. The elephant, a figure of strength and wisdom, possibly representing a desired ally or a protective figure like a teacher or parent, stepped in to rectify the situation. By making the animals reconcile in the end, James was expressing a hopeful outcome: that the teasing would stop, and he could feel accepted and comfortable again.

This imaginative play allowed James to process his feelings of humiliation and isolation. It gave him a controlled environment to confront his anxieties and visualize a more positive outcome. Through the scenarios he enacted, he was slowly building the resilience and hope needed to face the real-world challenge.

3. Play is a way of communication

Beyond its therapeutic value and its role in helping children navigate their surroundings, play is a pivotal form of communication for them. This is especially crucial for younger children who might not yet have the linguistic skills to express complex feelings or situations. The scenarios they create, the toys they gravitate towards, and the roles they assume during play can speak volumes about their internal world.

For caregivers, understanding this language of play can be incredibly enlightening. Patterns in play can shine a light on persistent thoughts or concerns. For instance, a child consistently sidelining a particular toy could be emblematic of feelings of exclusion or isolation. On the other hand, frequent themes of rescue or protection in their narratives might hint at a desire for security or a way to process experiences of vulnerability.

In this light, play can be seen as a dialogue. By paying attention to it, parents and caregivers can gain profound insights, facilitating more empathetic and effective communication with the child.

Let’s see an example:

Isabella, a five-year-old girl, had always been the center of attention in her family. Recently, her world had been turned upside down when her parents brought home a new baby brother. At first, she appeared excited, talking about the baby and asking questions. But as days turned into weeks, her enthusiasm seemed to wane.

During her daily play sessions, Isabella’s parents observed how she had recently started to use her dollhouse to create family scenarios. In the heart of the dollhouse, a tiny infant doll took the center stage, with dolls representing other family members constantly hovering around, attending to the baby’s needs. Interestingly, a doll that resembled Isabella, was often placed in an upstairs room, away from the main activities, peering out from a tiny window.

One day, Isabella’s mother, seeing this pattern, decided to join her during playtime. Taking another doll, she engaged in a dialogue with the Isabella-like doll, asking, “Why are you up here by yourself? Don’t you want to join the others downstairs?” Through the dolls, Isabella began to communicate her feelings of being left out and her worries that her parents might not love her as much anymore.

This play session provided a valuable opportunity for Isabella’s mother to reassure her, explaining that while the new baby needs care due to his age, it doesn’t diminish the immense love they have for her.

4. Play serves as an avenue for intrinsic learning

Having explored play’s roles in helping children comprehend their world, process emotions, and foster communication, we now turn our attention to yet another pivotal function of play – its capacity to facilitate intrinsic learning. Unlike the structured environment of...