Understanding How Children Play

Recruiting volunteers is a hard thing to accomplish.  Many churches, especially small ones, run on a skeleton crew of teachers that barely make ends meet.  Classes may be clumped because teachers are scarce and finding a good teacher is like finding a pile of gold on the side of the highway...it just doesn't seem to be there!

Well there is gold in them thar' hills!  Part of the problem is understanding how children play.  Here is some helpful info on different types of play.  This will help you set up lessons and better judge what your expectation level should be.

Understanding Different Types of Play:

Onlooker Play:  In this situation one child is a passive spectator and watches the other child.  He or she does not participate in the playing - they only watch.  Children involved in onlooker play can learn new behaviors, and develop the courage to try them later.  This type of play enables shy children, younger children, and a new child to adjust more easily to a situation.  Most typical ages:  2-years-old and younger.  Children that are new, shy, or feel distant can do this type of play also regardless of age. 

Parallel Play:  This is the type of play where two children will be playing within a close proximity of one another, but they aren't actually playing WITH each other.  They are playing independently, next to one another.  Each child is focused on his or her own activity even though there is another child next to them.  Sometimes a child will be in parallel play and later imitate the play of another child who was observed in parallel play.  Ages: 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds most typically partake in this type of play.

Associative Play:  In this form of play children as young as 3 years old can share materials, while each one pursues his or her own goals.  Two or more children for example can organize a common activity - such as playing house.  Each child then focuses on his or her own goal - being the Mom, Dad, or Baby.  In this type of play there is a lot of sharing and borrowing without any coordinated purpose or other direct social interaction.  In other words, the children are more interested in exchanging materials than performing a certain task.

Cooperative Play: This type of play generally emerges around 4-years-old and continues to develop through the elementary years.  This type of play involves organized play activities.  It can be anything from playing store to building a block tower.  The point is that there are rules to follow and a certain order in doing things that they must be obeyed.  In this type of play the children have the opportunity to expand their vocabulary.  This type of play is associated with lots of hand gestures and facial expressions.  This type of play helps children develop social skills and enlarges their circle of friends.

Social Fantasy Play: This type of play is a combination of cooperative play and pretend play.  In this type of play each child is a specific person (firefighter, nurse, superman), in a game with a specific fantasy theme (a trip to Neverland).  This type of play allows children to take leadership roles, learn to manage their feelings, and develop empathy through playing with others.

Note: This info was adapted from the Growing Child Newsletter.