Play and Playing Processes of the Young Child in Early Education Programs: A Piagetian Analysis

This paper reviews Piaget's stages of play and discusses the implications of play for early childhood education. The three stages of play identified in Piaget's research are: (1) practice play, (2) symbolic or make believe play and (3) games with rules. The characteristics of each type of play are presented and examples of play at each stage are given. The relationship between each stage of play and the individual's cognitive development is then discussed in detail. Also discussed are three factors that influence the quality, quantity and nature of children's play: (1) materials/environments, (2) peer interaction and (3) adult guidance. The match of the child's present developmental abilities to the activities in the environment is identified as the most important aspect of planning for children's play. Finally, the Piagetian interview technique is discussed as a means of evaluating play outcomes. Guidelines for employing this technique are presented. (JMB)