15.5: Play and Cognitive Development

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the cognitive and developmental benefits of play during early childhood.
2. Differentiate between discovery learning, guided play, and direct instruction.
3. Identify Piaget’s sequence of play types and explain how they relate to cognitive growth.
4. Distinguish between the social levels of play and describe how social complexity evolves with development.

Play is Universal

Play is a fundamental and universal aspect of childhood that supports cognitive growth and problem-solving skills. Across cultures, children engage in various forms of play, from simple exploration to complex make-believe scenarios. Play is often characterized by its voluntary nature, intrinsic motivation, and emphasis on enjoyment rather than external rewards. Through play, children experiment with their environment, test ideas, and develop critical thinking skills.

Interaction of Play and Instruction

Discovery learning and guided play are two approaches that help children learn through hands-on exploration while maintaining structure and support. In discovery learning, children actively engage with materials and explore concepts independently, such as figuring out how blocks balance to build a tall tower. Guided play occurs when an adult subtly structures the activity while allowing the child to make choices. For example, a teacher might ask open-ended questions to encourage deeper thinking while children play with water and containers, thereby helping them understand concepts such as volume and measurement. These approaches contrast with direct instruction, where information is explicitly provided without room for exploration.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). The interaction of play and direct instruction. Image by Heather Carter is licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Research suggests that play-based learning fosters better problem-solving and creativity compared to rigid, teacher-directed lessons (Weisberg, Hirsh-Pasek, & Golinkoff, 2016).

Development of Play

Sequence of Play

Piaget described a developmental sequence of play that reflects changes in cognitive abilities as children's thinking becomes more advanced.

1. In the early years, functional play (or practice play) involves simple, repetitive movements such as shaking a rattle or stacking cups.
2. As children grow, they engage in constructive play, where they build and create, such as assembling puzzles or forming structures with blocks.
3. By preschool age, symbolic play emerges, where children use objects to represent something else, like pretending a banana is a phone.
4. The most complex form is games with rules, where children follow structured guidelines, such as taking turns in a board game. These types of play build upon each other as children's thinking becomes more advanced (Piaget, 1962).

Symbolic or sociodramatic play, in which children assume roles and create narratives, is particularly valuable for cognitive and language development. When children pretend to be a doctor or a shopkeeper, they practice organizing thoughts, using new vocabulary, and understanding social roles. Engaging in pretend play has been linked to improvements in problem-solving, perspective-taking, and storytelling abilities (Lillard et al., 2013). Encouraging play-based learning in early childhood helps lay the foundation for academic success and lifelong curiosity.

Levels of Play

Play also varies in social complexity, referring to how children interact with others during play. As children age, play moves from more independent activities to cooperative interactions. However, even after a child has mastered a level of play, they may still be observed participating in any type of play that precedes that level.

1. Solitary play occurs when a child engages in activities alone, such as drawing or exploring toys independently.
2. Onlooker play occurs when a child watches others but does not participate.
3. Parallel play involves children playing near each other with similar materials, like two toddlers building with blocks side by side without interacting.
4. Associative play occurs when children engage in similar activities and interact, but maintain individual goals and interests.
5. Cooperative play emerges as social skills develop, with children engaging in shared activities, negotiating roles, and working toward common goals.

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): A child pretending to buy items at a toy grocery store. Image by Ermalfaro is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

According to Piaget, children’s pretend play helps them solidify new cognitive schemes they are developing. This play, then, reflects changes in their conceptions or thoughts. However, children also learn as they pretend and experiment. Their play does not simply represent what they have learned (Berk, 2007).

References, Contributors and Attributions

Berk, L. E. (2007). Development through the lifespan (4th ed.). Allyn and Bacon.

Lillard, A. S., Lerner, M. D., Hopkins, E. J., Dore, R. A., Smith, E. D., & Palmquist, C. M. (2013). The impact of pretend play on children’s development: A review of the evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 1-34.

Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams, and imitation in childhood. Norton.

Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2016). Guided play: Where curricular goals meet a playful pedagogy. Mind, Brain, and Education, 10(3), 104-112.