Play is mostly defined as, activity that is freely chosen, initiated and controlled by children. Play is crucial to learning, it can help language development, problem solving, social and emotional skills, and self-regulation. The classroom I went to observe is a NC preschool class that had thirteen students ages four and five. The observation took place at Heavenly Haven Child Daycare & Preschool Center on September 11, 2017. One of the types of play that was observed was symbolic play. Symbolic play is where children use one thing to represent another. This type of play helps build symbolic representation. This is the process of mentally using one thing to stand for something new. When I was observing, a boy named David was on the playground he picks up a sand shovel and starts to play with it. He told me it was a sword and he was a superhero. Vygotsky’s theory is make-believe play is leading activity in children’s development from ages two to five. Vygotsky’s also believes that symbolic play is vital to language development and promoting self-regulation. …show more content…
Constructive play is where a child uses a toy to create something new. This type of play begins as functional play and becomes more symbolic as children uses the toy to create new ones. Constructive play helps develop logico-mathematical learning. An example of this type of play is when I witness a boy playing with Legos. During free time, he took out the Legos and started to build a rocket ship. Piaget theory was that children were born with basic genetic capabilities that enable them to construct knowledge and meaning through active exploration of their