Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 3.3: Apply theoretical perspectives and philosophical approaches to play
Learning outcome: Understand theoretical perspectives which support play
Assessment criteria: Summarise how theories impact on own understanding of play
In the previous section, we looked at some of the prominent theoretical perspectives that influence children’s play. On this page, we will explore how these theories might impact your own understanding of play.
At this stage, it is useful to reflect upon how your understanding of play before reading about these theoretical perspectives. By doing this, you’ll be able to identify how your understanding has changed through learning about these theories.
For example, before you were exposed to Chris Athey’s ideas, you may not have realised that a child’s throwing and jumping behaviours were both linked to the same trajectory schema.
Similarly, before learning about Vygotsky’s theories, you may not have appreciated how important adult-led play is for a child’s development.