Singer E. Play and playfulness in early childhood education and care

Keywords: play theory game theory play curricula day care teacher-child relationship very young children

Singer E. Play and playfulness in early childhood education and care // Preschool Education Today. 2016, Issue 7 - p. 72–80.

This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

2016, 7

Elly Singer
Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Abstract

Play and playfulness are basic features in early childhood education. The elements of play are pleasure, a sense of freedom, and the co-construction of shared meaning through the use of rules or rhythms. Play and learning are closely related in early childhood. But when the focus on the educational benefits of play becomes too strong, the most essential feature of play is lost: children’s pleasure. Young children in group settings often have to adapt to the teachers’ demands related to security, hygiene, and social norms and values. But the playfulness of the teachers helps to overcome differences in power in the caregiver-child relationship and prevents young children from becoming overburdened with strict rules and group discipline. Play and playfulness are a resource of shared pleasure and creativity in learning processes.

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