CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR S.C. TEACHER CADET COURSE | EXPERIENCING EDUCATION, TENTH EDITION
Sources:
Childhood Education, Mid-Summer 1996 v72 n5 p. 274(4) “Understanding through Play” by
Christine Chaille; Steven B. Silvern and “The Importance of Play” by Bruno Bettelheim from The
Atlantic Monthly, March 1987.
PAGE I – 3 -46
Theme I: Experiencing Learning
Unit 3: Growth and Development
Advice and Information about a Child’s Play
• Unless there is danger, it is usually best to approve of the child’s play without
interfering.
• When a child struggles with a situation in play, it is often best not to assist him
because well-intended help might divert him from seeking and finding the solution
best for him.
• Parents should avoid imposing their goals of play on their children.
• Empty praise can confuse a child at play.
• Parents should refrain from frequently directing and dominating a child’s play.
• Play and game have different meanings. Play refers to activities generally
free from rules and goals. Games are based on competition and rules.
• Parents should not allow a child to pretend to shoot someone with a toy gun, yet
they should not overreact if the child wants to play with a toy gun.
• Educational toys lose their value if they serve the purpose of only instruction and
not fun. Then play is “trapped” in rules and pressure.
• Just as a parent wants a child to respect his time to work, a parent must respect
his child’s time to play. Give a few minutes warning ahead of time if the play will
be stopped.
• A little boy’s playing with a doll will in no way hurt his masculinity, nor will a little
girl’s femininity be hurt if she wants to play with trucks. In other words, toys do not
negatively impact gender roles.
• It is okay to let a child beat an adolescent or adult in a game. With little children,
the rules need not be enforced. If a little child breaks the rules, do not consider that
action to be a form of cheating. The child will play by the rules when he is older
and more confident.