Question

1. Describe the different play needs in regards to the different developmental stages. Include the type of play when appropriate:
   1. Infant
   2. Toddler
   3. Preschooler
   4. School-age
   5. Adolescent

Answer 1

• PLAY AND PLAY MATERIALS

Play is universal for all children.It is pleasurable and enjoyable aspect in their life.

It is essential for a child's growth and development.

The activity that has no serious motive and from which there is no material gain is called play.

Importance of play

Play helps in growth and development of a child in various aspects.That is,

• Physical development : Play like Climbing ,running , riding cycle etc help to strengthen muscles, to learn coordinated movements and skills.Through the use of play materials,child learn to differentiate the sensations by visual,auditory and tactile stimulations.
• Intellectual and educational development : Learn color,size,shape,number,distance, height etc. Creative activity, problem solving,abstract thinking,imagination,communication and speech development. It also helps to improve their attention span.
• Emotional development : Helps to express fear, anxiety ,anger etc. It reduces stress and enhances coping abilities. Play helps in socialization.
• Moral development : Play helps the child to reflect right and wrong things,honesty etc. Children gice importance to the friendship and cooperation.

Types of play

Depends on age , sex , interest , personality , ability , cultural pattern , and socioeconomic status of the child's family.

Play , play time and playmates decrease as the age increase.

It is a social behaviour and it differs as the age group varies. And it depends upon the level of development.

INFANTS

1. Social affective play : Infants response by smiling, cooing to the interacting adult.
2. Sense pleasure play : Child learn and explore environment through different sensory experience.
3. Skill play : Develops skill through imitation.

Play materials suitable for infants are;

Bright and moving objects, hanging cradle toys, balloons, rattles, etc.

TODDLERS

Toddlers are interested to play alone independently.

Solitary independent play helps in concentrating play with less interaction with others.

They like informal free spontaneous, constructive and parallel play

Play materials for toddlers are ; Fitting toys , pull push toys , blocks , vehicles , ball ,doll etc.

PRESCHOOLERS

They enjoy dramatic play by which they identify themself with adult and dramatize adult's behaviour.

structured formal play starts to be played during later preschool times.

Play materials needed for preschoolers are puppets, dolls, blocks, colored picture books, cooking materials etc.

SCHOOL AGED CHILD

They enjoy competitive sports, games, and develop hobbies for recreation and diversion.

They imitate and act more complex activities even acting stories in books.

They like games rather than toys.

Play materials needed includes; carpentory tools, painting materials, chess ,puzzles ,etc.

ADOLESCENT

They are engaged in more sophisticated type of fantasy activity called day dreaming.

Spent their leisure time in competitive sports , operating computers, watching television , listening to the radio, hobbies , reading etc.