We spoke about PLAY personalities on a previous post, now let’s discuss PLAY TYPES! This is gonna be a long one…There are so many play types you thought there was a lot of play personalities, but wait until you read this.
So we should all know by now how important play is for our kids but us too! (check out play personalities). Kids Play Zone’s is focused on providing a safe haven place for families to come play and have fun, while doing so learn and meet new friends.
At KPZ, your kiddos will have the opportunity to PLAY in many of these play types!
We all learn differently, and we all play differently, right so it’s only fair that we allow of kids to be able to pick how they want to play and learn. So lets review the 16 play times here:
1. Symbolic Play
Using objects, actions or ideas to represent other objects, actions, or ideas, e.g. using a cardboard tube like a telescope.
2. Rough and Tumble Play
Close encounter play which is less to do with fighting and more to do with gauging relative strength. Discovering physical flexibility and the exhilaration of display and it’s generally friendly and positive. This type of play can burn up a lot of energy.
3. Socio-Dramatic Play
When children act out experiences, e.g. playing house, going to the shops or going to a restaurant.
4. Social Play
Any social or interactive situation where the expectation is that everyone will follow the set rules – like during a game or making something together.
5. Creative Play
Allows children to explore, try out new ideas and use their imagination. They can use lots of different items, altering something and making something new.
6. Communication Play
Using words, gestures e.g. charades, telling jokes, play acting, etc.
7. Dramatic Play
Where children figure out roles to play, assign them and then act them out.
8. Locomotor Play Movement
For movement’s sake, just because it’s fun. Things like chase, tag, hide and seek and tree climbing fall into this category
9. Deep Play Play
Allows the child to encounter risky experiences and conquer fear like heights, snakes, and creepy crawlies. Some find strength they never knew they had to climb obstacles, lift large objects, etc.
10. Exploratory Play
Using senses of smell, touch and even taste to explore and discover the texture and function of things around them. An example of this would be a baby mouthing an object.
11. Fantasy Play
This is the make believe world of children. This type of play is where the child’s imagination gets to run wild and they get to play out things that are that are unlikely to occur, like being a pilot or driving a car.
12. Imaginative Play
Where the conventional rules, which govern the physical world, do not apply, like imagining you are a bee, or pretending you have wings.
13. Mastery Play
Control of the physical and affective ingredients of the environments, like digging holes or constructing shelters.
14. Object Play
Uses sequences of hand-eye manipulations and movements, like using a paintbrush.
15. Role Play
Exploring ways of being, although not normally an intense personal, social, domestic or interpersonal nature. For example brushing with a broom, dialing with a telephone.
16. Recapitulative Play
Allows the child to explore ancestry, history, rituals, stories, rhymes, fire and darkness.
I love how there are so many ways for kids to learn while playing. iIt’s amazing that we as parents do not think of these as learning, but once you take a closer look at how they are playing you can get a sense of how they prefer to learn the world around us. So let them play!
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