Child Development: Understanding How Play Changes in Different Settings

theinspiredtreehouse
photo by: theinspiredtreehouse.com
theinspiredtreehouse
photo by: theinspiredtreehouse.com

A child’s environment influences the way they play.  Structure or lack thereof has a significant effect. Additionally, the size of the play space and their familiarity with it has effects.  To some extent, the qualities of the atmosphere can even define the way kids will play.

In a wide open space, such as a gym, it’s easy to imagine a group of kids running and yelling in utter chaos. On the opposite end, kids playing in a small place (like a secret hideout) results in quieter, more imaginative play. This means that physical activity increases as the size of the play place increases.

Their social environment (number of people present, rules, how safe they feel) is another factor in play. Children tend to withdraw when it’s too crowded and engage in more physical activity when an adult isn’t present. Sensory features, like lighting and smells and how complex the materials are also impact children’s play. Consider all of these factors that go into play and how they will likely impact children when thinking playtime.

Read the original article here:
HOW THE ENVIRONMENT SHAPES THE WAY KIDS PLAY

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Articles written by SensoryEdge are a combined effort of the SensoryEdge publishing staff. At SensoryEdge our focus is to educate, inform, and inspire each person caring for children to be and do their very best. It is not always easy and sometimes we don't take action (or we take the wrong action) because of a lack of understanding the real issues. We hope that the conversations that occur here will help in some small way better the lives of children, their families, and the professionals who work with them.