hours, would you normally recognise this as play? Older children and adults also use functional play when faced with new or different objects to explore. Once the new objects are mastered, such as the workings of a new music machine, the ‘real’ play can begin. Symbolic play is when the child can use objects to symbolise other objects, and follows on from the earlier functional play. This stage goes together with the beginnings of speech, another important use of symbols in the development of thinking. The emergence of imagination and speech in the toddler years heralds an important time of growth in children’s thinking skills. Simlansky’s characteristics of dramatic and sociodramatic play Play Behaviour Characteristics Examples Levels/Ages Imitative Role Child assumes a Child places doll Beginning: Role Play make-believe role of over shoulder and relates to the a person or object pats the back familiar world (e.g. and expresses it in (burbing) mommy, daddy, imitation and/or bubba) verbalisation Advanced: role relates to world outsode the family (e.g. doctor, teacher) Make-believe Child substitutes Uses spoon as a Beginning: Real with regard to movements, verbal phone. Places objects or replicas objects declarations, and/or plastic plates and used (e.g. real toy materials or toys cups in swing and car) that are not replicas pushes it back and of the object itself or forth. Advanced: uses real objects prop as part of play scenario (e.g. uses tea towel as wrap for the doll) Verbal make Child substitutes Uses blocks to Beginning: imitates believe with descriptions or build a house and simple actions of regard to actions declarations for says “this is where adult (e.g. grabs a and situations actions and Mummy and kitchen sponge situations Bubba live” from the cupboard and begins to wipe the furniture) Advanced: child’s actions are integral to the play episode (e.g. “I’m cleaning so sissy can play”
hours, would you normally recognise this as play? Older children and adults also use functional play when faced with new or different objects to explore. Once the new objects are mastered, such as the workings of a new music machine, the ‘real’ play can begin. Symbolic play is when the child can use objects to symbolise other objects, and follows on from the earlier functional play. This stage goes together with the beginnings of speech, another important use of symbols in the development of thinking. The emergence of imagination and speech in the toddler years heralds an important time of growth in children’s thinking skills. Simlansky’s characteristics of dramatic and sociodramatic play Play Behaviour Characteristics Examples Levels/Ages Imitative Role Play Child assumes a make-believe role of a person or object and expresses it in imitation and/or verbalisation Child places doll over shoulder and pats the back (burbing) Beginning: Role relates to the familiar world (e.g. mommy, daddy, bubba) Advanced: role relates to world outsode the family (e.g. doctor, teacher) Make-believe with regard to objects Child substitutes movements, verbal declarations, and/or materials or toys that are not replicas of the object itself or real objects Uses spoon as a phone. Places plastic plates and cups in swing and pushes it back and forth. Beginning: Real objects or replicas used (e.g. real toy car) Advanced: uses prop as part of play scenario (e.g. uses tea towel as wrap for the doll) Verbal make believe with regard to actions and situations Child substitutes descriptions or declarations for actions and situations Uses blocks to build a house and says “this is where Mummy and Bubba live” Beginning: imitates simple actions of adult (e.g. grabs a kitchen sponge from the cupboard and begins to wipe the furniture) Advanced: child’s actions are integral to the play episode (e.g. “I’m cleaning so sissy can play”
9247_readings.docx