Abstract
This document discusses the different types of play in child development according to various theorists such as Piaget, Klein, and Winnicott, including functional play, constructive play, symbolic/fantastic play, and games with rules.
Extract
[...] This is the essential function of the transitional object: it takes the infant from adolescence to adulthood, bringing clarity and meaning to their otherwise disparate and frustrating development. It allows the extension and diffusion of the experience of infantile subjectivity, of magic, of creation, and of the absence of limits, to the subject and their world in general (Athanassiou-Popesco, 2016). In addition, it is due to the singularity of 'play' that Winnicott is led to make a conceptual distinction between 'play' and 'game': according to him, 'games and their organization must be considered as part of an attempt to prevent the frightening aspect of play' (Winnicott, 1975). [...]
[...] And, while functional play is the type of play encouraged in most outdoor playgrounds (swinging, sliding, tricycle riding, running, and climbing), symbolic/fantastic play is considered by many experts to be the highest level of play in the preschool and kindergarten years (Leong & Bodrova, 2015). Early childhood specialists believe that symbolic/fantastic play develops children's social skills, basic math skills, early literacy concepts, and behavioral self-regulation. Unfortunately, some have even referred to it as mature play (Leong & Bodrova, 2015). Constructive play is thus often left out of the debate on the crucial importance of play, or is simply considered as a bridge between functional play and symbolic/fantastic play, supposedly more desirable and more sophisticated. [...]
[...] For the unruffled infant, the need is equivalent to satisfaction - almost perfectly. And it works well and for a long time, as the child develops cognitively and physically. Over time, however, the mother will adapt her responses to the child as the child develops, offering less satisfaction as the needs become less intensely linked to her responses. However, this process is never perfect. There is never a completely harmonious development between oneself and the other; and even if that were the case, we must take into account the space that forms between these things, even if they are gradually separating. [...]
[...] Winnicott asserts that one way to know if the play is truly linked to something important for the child's psychological development is to surprise himself. Another of his ideas is that games, with their rules, and playful songs and rhymes, with their structures and scenarios, offer modified forms of play. These modified forms of play can touch on the dream themes that may be important for a child, while preventing the play from going to places that might seem uncontrollable for the child or the adults around them. [...]
[...] One of Klein's significant contributions to play therapy is the emphasis she places on the importance of imaginative play in the psychological development of the child. Through play, children can express and resolve unconscious conflicts, which allows therapists to better understand the child's emotional life (Ibid). Klein's play therapy is recognized as a valuable method for treating a range of psychological problems in children, including anxiety, trauma, behavioral issues, and emotional challenges (Lenormand, 2012). According to Klein, young children communicate their inner dramas not by lying on a couch and talking, but through their drawings and - above all - through their play. [...]
