Partens Theory of Play

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Partens Theory of Play

• Play is the only way the highest intelligence of
  humankind can unfold.
• -Joseph Chilton Pearce

Megan Wellford EDU 5110 Child
Development November 5, 2008
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Partens Ideas Emerged From the Following
Theories

• Surplus Energy Theory Extra energy is used in
  play
• Recapitulation Theory Hereditary
• Instinct theory Play is inherited and the child
  will engage in behaviors and activities
  instinctively
• Pre-Exercise Theory Play is an instinctive
  manner of rehearsing the skills needed for adult
  life

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Mildred Partens Classic Study of Play (1932)

• Unoccupied Play
• Solitary Play
• Onlooker Play
• Parallel Play
• Associative Play
• Cooperative Play
• Each of these levels is a more complex form of
  social interaction

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Unoccupied Play

• Play in which the child is not engaging in play
  as it is commonly understood. The child might
  stand in one spot, look around the room, or
  perform random movements that do not seem to have
  a goal.

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Solitary Play

• Involves the child playing alone and
  independently of others

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Onlooker Behavior

• Involves the child watching other children play
  but deciding not to join in

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Parallel Play

• Involves the child playing separately from
  others, but with toys like those the others are
  using or in a manner that mimics their play

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Associative Play

• Play that involves social interaction with little
  or no organization.
• Child is still focused on a separate activity but
  there is a considerable amount of sharing,
  lending, taking turns, and attending to the
  activities of one's peers

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Cooperative Play

• Play that involves social interaction in a group
  with a sense of group identity and organized
  activity.
• Represents the child's social and cognitive
  maturity
• The children can organize their play and/or
  activity cooperatively with a common goal and be
  able to differentiate and assign roles.

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Types of Play Video

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vuf3oHEEykpM

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Criticisms of Partens Theory

• Focus was too narrow (only children ages 2-5)
• Only studied how children interacted, not what
  they were actually doing during play
• Does not consider cultural differences
• 3 and 4 year olds prefer far more unoccupied,
  solitary, and onlooker
• play than Parten indicated

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Cognitive-Developmental Approach to Play

• Cognitive-Developmental Concerned with
  intellectual development
• Piagets Constructivism 3 Stages of Play
• Mastery Play (Age 1-2)
• Play Stage (Age 3-6)
• Game Stage (Age 7)
• Vygotsky
• Focus on Zone of Proximal Development
• Play creates an understanding of language, rules,
  and social conventions

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Psychodynamic Approach to Play

• Psychodynamic Play is based on emotions
• supported by Freud
• Freud believed that children play to master their
  negative emotions, such as anxiety or anger
• Play can therefore be therapeutic, used to reduce
  aggressive behavior

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Current Theories of Play Stress Social and
Cognitive Aspects

• Sensorimotor and Practice Play
• Pretense/Symbolic Play
• Social Play
• Constructive Play
• Games

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Sensorimotor and Practice Play

• Sensorimotor Play Behavior by infants to derive
  pleasure from exercising their sensorimotor
  schemes during infancy.
• Practice PlayThe repetition of behavior
  when new skills are being learned or when
  physical or mental mastery and coordination of
  skills are required for games or sports engaged
  in throughout life.

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Pretense/Symbolic Play

• Play that occurs when a child transforms the
  physical environment into a symbol
• Children between 9 and 30 months of age increase
  use of objects in symbolic play
• 18 months to 4 or 5 years old is considered the
  golden age of dramatic or sociodramatic
  symbolic/pretense play
• Can you think of any examples of pretense games
  you played as a child?

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Social Play

• Play that involves social interaction with peers
• Partens categories are geared toward social play

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Constructive Play

• Combines sensorimotor and practice repetitive
  activity with symbolic representation of ideas

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Games

• Activities engaged in for pleasure that include
  rules and often competition with one or more
  individuals

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Implications for Teaching Make Learning Social
and Fun!

• Educational Math Games
• Legos and Geometric Blocks
• Set, Jenga Trivia
• Multiplication and Division War
• Educational ELA Games
• Apples to Apples, Scrabble
• Pinkedy Winkedy and Botticelli
• Universal Games
• Jeopardy
• Memory
• Back to Back Flashcards
• And countless more

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Remember

• The fundamental role of the teacher is to use
  the natural spontaneous play of children in a way
  that it has educational value while continuing to
  maintain its qualities as play.
• - Saracho and Spodek

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References

• Ginsburg, K.R. MD, MS, Ed. (2007, January) The
  American Academy of Pediatrics says free and
  unstructured play is healthy and essential.
  Retrieved September 30, 2008 from
  http//www.cnaturenet.org/news/detail/the_america
  n_academy_of_pediatrics_aap_says_free_and_unstruct
  ured_play_is_h
• Hyun, E. (1998). Culture and development in
  childrens play. In Making sense of
  developmentally and culturally appropriate
  practice (DCAP) in early childhood education. New
  York Peter Lang.
• Jarvis, M. Russell, J. (2003) Angles on Applied
  Psychology. Cheltenham Nelson Thornes.
• Rubin, K.H., Maioni, T.L., and Hornung, M. (1976)
  Free Play Behaviors in Middle- and Lower-Class
  Preschoolers Parten and Piaget Revisited. Child
  Development. (47). Retrieved October 30, 2008
  from http//www.jstor.org/pss/1128796
• Santrock, J.W. (2007) Child Development (11th
  ed.). New York McGraw Hill.
• Saracho, O.N. Spodek, B., Ed. (1998) Multiple
  Perspectives on Play in Early Childhood
  Education. Albany, NY State University of New
  York Press.
• Simpson, L. (2008) Types of Play - Child
  Observation. Retrieved October 26, 2008 from
  http//www.youtube.com/watch?vuf3oHEEykpM
• Tomlin, C.R. Play A Historical Review. Retrieved
  October 24, 2008 from http//www.earlychildhoodnew
  s.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID6
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