Discuss in detail the major theories concerning the role of play in childhood.
Play in childhood is one of the issues which psychologists have not been able to give a single definition. This is due to the fact that there are many ways of approaching play and there are also many different kinds of play (Smith and Cowie, 1991). This makes it difficult to define the features and what can be classified as play. However, it is generally agreed that play in childhood is in some ways important to the child's development and adaptation to the world. .
There are various theories by different people on the role of play in childhood. This essay will highlight and discuss the major ones. These theories will be looked at under two sections: "classical" and "modern" theories. There are four classic theories that tried to explain the role of play, namely, "play as surplus energy" put forward by Spencer (1873); "play as relaxation" suggested by Patrick (1916); "play as recapitulation" based on the work of Hall (1920) and Piaget's theory on cognitive development and finally "play as practice" originated by Groos (1901). .
The criticism of these theories provided the basis for the "modern" theories, which deal with the emotional, social and cognitive role of play. These are "play as the expression of underlying conflict" based on the work of Freud (1920), Melanie Klein (1932) and other psychoanalyst; "play as stimulus-seeking" by Ellis (1973); "play as metacommunication" initiated by Bateson (1955); "play as social framing" proposed by Vygotsky (1967) and "play as meta-representation" put forward by Leslie (1987). .
The Classical Theories.
Surplus energy theory - This theory first put forward by Spencer (1873) argued that play is as a result of surplus energy left over after the basic survival needs have been met. This surplus energy makes the child active, spilling over into play. This theory claims that plays like rough -and-tumble game allows the young animals and child to develop its survival skills.
