Children and Play

Research Paper # 105269

Psychology > Child and Adolescent
Psychology > Social

Children and Play

This paper explores Lev Vygotsky's theories on the development of children through social interaction.

1,563 words () | 10 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and beliefs that through social interaction during play, children naturally begin to use abstract thinking and apply what they learned to their lives. The paper shows how research supports Vygotsky's ideas of make believe and play supporting cognitive development in most children. The paper looks at how Vygotsky's ideas on play can be used in the modern classroom to assist students of multiple learning needs.

From the Paper:

"Vygotsky (1978) stated, "In play a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself" (p. 102). This belief of Vygotsky was arrived at through the development of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. In the theory Vygotsky disagreed with his peer, Piaget. Vygotsky concluded that while all children were born with the ability to progress cognitively, "just as animals", their environment played a significant role in the scope of that development and the beliefs a child would ultimately hold (Beck, 2001, p. 254). According to Beck (2001), Vygotsky argued that in the first few years of life cognitive development of the child was related to his or her relationship with parents (p. 254)."

Sample of Sources Used:

Beck, L. (2001). Childhood development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Casby, M. (2003). The development of play in infants, toddlers and young children. Communication Disorders Quarterly. 24(4): 163-185.
Fiese, B. (1990). Playful relationships: A contextual analysis of mother-toddler interaction and symbolic play. Child Development. 61: 1648-1656.
Lillard, A. (1993). Pretend play skills and the child's theory of the mind. Child Development. 64: 348-371.
Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking. New York: Oxford.