Play

Plot

Play is one of the most natural and widespread phenomena of childhood. But its purpose and its importance for the growing child have been, and remain, a source of puzzlement not only very frequently to parents, but also to social.

For the first time Catherine Garvey in PLAY makes clear the vital ways in which play helps the child - to learn about self, about others, and about the world in which he or she lives.

Quoting extensively from examples of spontaneous playfulness among children aged from two to five, Catherine Garvey describes the various manifestations of play: with motion, with objects, with language, with social roles. She discusses the origins of such playful activities, and shows how they become increasingly complex as the child grows and acquires new skills and interests.

By contrasting playful and non-playful versions of the same activity, Catherine reveals how play has to be recognized as more of an attitude than a particular kind of behavior.