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Teacher's Role

Blocks

  • Focus on the process of play. Ask exploratory questions that help extend the child’s play.
  • Elaborate and build on children’s play or interests. Make comments, offer new and varied materials.
  • Reflect the emotions children express in their play and actions. This labels and validates children’s feelings.
  • Provide varied materials to encourage exploration and play
  • Provide open-ended materials for play.

Block play can help to facilitate cooperation, problem solving ability, social skills, and language development.

In this area include:

  • Blocks of different sizes
  • Block accessories (people, cars, safety signs, etc.)
  • Blocks of different texture (sturdy wooden, soft squishy
  • Vehicles (cars, trucks, boats, planes, tractors, fire engines, buses, helicopters)

Symbolic Play

Dress-up

  • Allows children to explore various roles and identities
  • Encourages creativity and the uses of materials in play
  • Children often engage with peers during dress-up

Jennifer Fogarty

Shanti Hall

Jenna Mejia

Kaitlin Nugent

Kitchen Area

  • Exploration through various objects (many items could be used in the kitchen)
  • Allows children to assign and take different roles
  • Examines social identity and offers a platform for questions

Classroom Design

During the toddler years, symbolic play takes the lead in terms of play and exploration. Again, it's through symbolic play that children express their thoughts and feelings, and learn about the world around them.

The following slides show our virtual classroom that encourages symbolic play.

Symbolic Play and Children with Special Needs

Benefits of Symbolic Play

  • Students with special needs may not have the skills yet to learn from play
  • They need assistance to engage in symbolic play
  • Rigid thinking patterns may make symbolic play difficult for children with special needs such as Autism as they might view objects in a limited way

Consideration for Other Delays That May Effect Play

What is Symbolic Play?

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

  • Physical: trouble manipulating or accessing materials
  • Cognitive: difficulty thinking abstractly, focusing on imitation
  • Communication: struggles with entering and imitating play, difficulties explaining and commenting
  • Sensory: vision and hearing challenges, mouthing toys
  • Social/Emotional: behavior, withdrawal, aggression, attention difficulties
  • Children with ASD often show restricted, repetitive, stereotyped patterns in play
  • They pursue interests, preferred activities, or fixations in isolation
  • May be less integrated, varied, or flexible in play
  • They may prefer to watch or imitate instead of engage
  • Children with ASD need to be taught specific play skills through modeling and explicit instruction

Symbolic Play and Preschoolers-Kindergarten

Symbolic play is rooted in Piaget and Vygotsky's symbolic function theory, which highlights a child's ability to use symbols, such as images, gestures, and words to represent objects in play. This type of play aids in a child's development, and allows them to make sense of the world around them. Symbolic play is also known as dramatic play.

References

  • Research has shown that symbolic play aids in the cognitive, social/emotional, physical, and language development of young children, starting around 18 months.
  • Symbolic play allows children to express their feelings and share ideas and thoughts.
  • Symbolic play helps to improve memory through mental imagery in pretend play.

Example: A child may use a banana to represent a phone, that she uses to call someone

  • Between the ages of 3-6, children's symbolic play becomes even more complex, adding layers of drama, social awareness, and complex story lines.
  • Children use symbolic play during this developmental phase to explore personalities, share feelings, and maybe even work through an event that is disrupting their family life.

California Department of Education. (2015) Web source. http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/itf09cogdevfdsym.asp

Community Playthings. (2009) Web Source. http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2009/facilitating-and-supporting-childrens-play-suggestions-for-teachers

The Effect of Disabilities on Play Skills. (n.d.) Web Source. http://www.pediatricservices.com/parents/pc-28.htm

Parke, D. R., & Gauvain, M. (2009). Child psychology: A contemporary viewpoint. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Wolfberg, P. (n.d.). Integrated Play Groups: Guiding Children on the Autism Spectrum in Mutually Engaging Social and Imaginary Play Experiences With Typical Peers. PsycEXTRA Dataset.

Symbolic Play and Toddlers

Symbolic Play in the Classroom

Symbolic Play at Home

Educators can support symbolic play by allowing ample time for children to explore and engage with peers in the classroom.

Items such as:

-blocks

-dress-up materials

-kitchen supplies

-materials to play doctor

-cardboard and

-dolls

would aid in encouraging symbolic play in the classroom.

Parents and caregivers can encourage symbolic play by providing materials such as blocks, props, dress-up, non-specific materials, and commonly used kitchen supplies (spoons, bowls, etc.)

Children also model behavior, therefore it is fun for parents to engage with their child using symbolic play. Hold a banana to your ear and pretend to talk to someone! Let your child play the mommy and wear your shoes!

More Benefits

  • Toddlers, ranging in age from 16 months to 36 months, will grow immensely in terms of symbolic play.
  • During the early toddler years, children will use one object which serves a function in their play. For example, using a spoon to stir a pot, and the pot is the child's arm.
  • During the later toddler years, symbolic play will become more comprehensive. A 3 year old may develop a multi-step make believe scenario that includes other children. Playing mom and baby or acting out a scene using dress-up and props, are common types of symbolic play during this phase.

• Cooperating and sharing ideas and conversation

• Problem solving

• Representing a concept symbolically

• Extending attention span, task perseverance, and concentration

• Learning to listen and take into account the

perspectives of others

• Expressing themselves in language

• Enjoying companionship and feelings of success

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