Ch. 4 Social Play

READ FIRST– The resource below will provide an overview of social play in early childhood.

• Read “Social Play” (pp. 9-11) in The Power of Play: A Research Summary on Play and Learning by Dr. Rachel E. White for Minnesota Children’s Museum (~4 minute read)

CHOOSE TWO– Select at least two of the resources below to extend your understanding of how young children develop social play across early childhood.

• Jean Piaget by Play and Playground Encyclopedia (~ 5 minute read)

Learn more about Piaget, a developmental psychologist whose theory influences many early childhood practices today. Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development as well as three stages of play tied to children’s social development.

• Lev Vygotsky by Play and Playground Encyclopedia (~ 5 minute read)

This selection highlights Vygotksy, a Russian psychologist. His work focused on how children develop understanding of social cultural ideas through their interactions. Vygotsky identified two key ideas that influence early childhood practice: the Zone of Proximal development and scaffolding.

• Social Development by Play and Playground Encyclopedia (~ 5 minute read)

This resource provides an overview of key aspects of children’s social emotional development and how these ideas connect to Parten, Piaget, and Vygotsky’s ideas about children’s play.

• The Power of Play– Part 1: Stages of Play from Michigan State University Extension (~8 minute read)

Here you can learn more about Parten’s ideas about children’s development of social play during early childhood as well as tips for supporting children’s social play.