[Morning Reading: Three Stages of Play] Play is called "the work of early childhood" and is regarded as an activity led by the child himself, without external motivations and intentions. In early childhood, we can see creative play unfolding in three stages: physical play, play b

[Morning Reading: Three Stages of Play]

Play is called "the work of early childhood" and is regarded as an activity led by the child himself, without external motives and intentions. In early childhood, we can see creative play unfolding in three stages: physical play, play based on imagination and imitation, and intentional pretending.

1. When a child before the age of 3 masters a new physical skill, most of the play will be simple movements without imagination. Children like to run, jump, walk on tiptoes, crawl, turn around, or roll on the ground. Such activities are needed for their physical development. If there are no external obstacles, children know best what kind of sports they need to develop.

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2. When playing is no longer a display of energy, but a conscious activity, starting from around 3 years old, the initial way of playing is when children pretend to eat, drink, or make phone calls. This kind of pretend play comes from imitation—imitation of things the child has done or watched others around them do. This transformation and progression of play, from pure movement to imaginative play, can be seen in the child's relationship with the rocking horse. At first, the child has no concept of horses and only gets the joy of rhythmic movement on the rocking horse. But a child of about 4 years old may want to be a cowboy, take care of the horses, and ride the horses to stay away from the wolves chasing him. Imaginative play is a way for children to connect with the world and to try out all the activities and characters they see.

3,...To be continued