Understood as any activity, without an objective, that is enjoyable in its own performance, play  maintains a flexible, non-literal, imaginative nature, play is not merely a behavior, but an environment  or psychological attitude. Universal in nature, children play cross culturally regardless of their access  to toys, peer acknowledgment, or support of parents or educators (White, 2012). Play grows meaningful when children are empowered with choice, promoting their natural desire to understand  the world through play (Nell & Drew, n.d.). Intrinsically motivated, play is differentiated from learning,  working, or exploration in that it’s intuitively free and maintains a positive affect; play is fun! By clearly  defining the features of play, classification of the various types enables the unpacking of vast developmental benefits and integration methods employed cross-culturally. 

First considered through a psychological lens in the 1800’s, G. Stanley Hall established the  study of play through founding the larger field of educational psychology in the United States (Play  and Playground Encyclopedia, 2021). Influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution and Haeckel’s  recapitulation theory, Hall (1904; Play and Playground Encyclopedia, 2021) proposed that on a small  scale, child development mimics the grander scale of human evolution, including the evolution of  emotions and play. Early theorists agreed that through play, children make sense of their physical,  social, and emotional worlds (Singer, 2006). Considered a means through which learning and formal  skills could develop (Fleer, 1996). 

A new framework has been proposed to discern the varied experiences and meanings of play  with greater nuance than antiquated and culturally derived theories (Beresin, Brown, & Patte, 2018;  Sutton-Smith, 1997). Proposing that people experience play differently based on their cultures and  beliefs, Sutton-Smith (1997) provided factors which progressed a novel social study of play,  solidifying connections between play and emotional development, expression, and survival. Arguing  that play evolved in line with the six fundamental emotions3 that assist human representations of  complex emotions and attempts to control response systems. Sutton-Smith (2003) proposed that an  essential role of play is to mediate complex emotions by masking the emotions upon which the play  is built. 

Mammals were first observed playing over 65 million years ago, in line with the discovery of  parental support, larger brains, and diversified emotional expression (Sutton-Smith, 2003, citing  Bekoff & Byers, 1998). Connecting the emergence of play with this differentiated emotional  capability, Sutton-Smith (2003) hypothesized that play evolved as a mediator of emotions.  Necessitated to reconcile conflicts between the newly evolved systems for cognitive emotional  survival (embarrassment, pride, or shame) versus the primary reflexive systems for emotional  survival (fear, disgust, or joy) the genetic invention of play provides mediation (Sutton-Smith, 2003).  Expanded in his final work, Play for Life: Play Theory and Play as Emotional Survival, Sutton-Smith  (2017), considers the nature of play as a “dynamic duality of contending forces” (p. 53) which  provide a third option to primitive reflexive or reflective responses in the face of danger, play  evolved to enable the exploration of varied responses in such scenarios.  

An alternate evolutionary perspective proposes the primary function of play promotes  cooperation and engagement among humans as equals (Gray, 2009). Essential to human survival in  hunter-gatherer societies, Gray (2011) noted the evolutionary significance of play in both children  and adults, which acted as the primary method in which our ancestors 

overcame selfish tendencies and lived in the highly cooperative, egalitarian manner that was  essential to their survival. Social play is nature’s means of teaching young humans that they  are not special. Even those who are more skilled at the game’s actions than are the other  players must consider the needs and wishes of the others as equal to their own, or else the  others will exclude them (p. 457). 

Include the involuntary, primary emotions: anger, fear, shock, disgust, sadness, and joy (Sutton Smith, 2003 for review).

Social adaptation proves beneficial as children are socialized through peer interactions in classrooms,  on playgrounds, and in games and sports. Put simply, Gray (2011) concludes that “play makes  children happy, and its absence makes them unhappy” (p. 456). Play aids children to improve their  emotional intelligence and seek well-being, instead of avoiding or suppressing emotions which  naturally arise through life (Sutton-Smith, 2003). Providing a safe environment for children to  unpack emotional traumas and supporting ego mastery, play functions as an “emotional meditational  phenomenon” (Isenberg & Quiseneberry, 1988, p. 4). One study found that while playing, children  learn to express, regulate, and practice strategies to cope with emotions by acting out their  frustration, fears, aggression, and anger in situations they control (White, 2012) with further  correlation between pretend play and improved emotional regulatory ability (Lillard et al., 2013).  Building emotional competence can be easy in playful situations.

From an evolutionary perspective, children’s free play is advantageous historically for their  survival, over time for their socialization, and in modern society for their prosperity – cognitively,  socially, emotionally, and psychologically (Gray, 2011). As theories of play continue to evolve to  consider emotional and psychological well-being, it is important to consider the impact theories have  on the larger contexts of educational studies and practices in ECE globally. 

References:

• Beresin, A., Brown, F., Patte, M. M. (2018). Brian Sutton-Smith’s Views on Play. In P. K.  Smtih, J. L. Roopnarine (Eds.) in Theories of play and research methodology (383-398). Cambridge  University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108131384.021  

• Fleer, M. (1996). Theories of ‘play’: Are they ethnocentric or inclusive? Australasian Journal  of Early Childhood, 21(4), 12-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/183693919602100404

• Gray, P. (2009). Play as a Foundation for Hunter-Gatherer Social Existence. American Journal of Play,  1(4), 476-522. EJ1069037 

  Gray, P. (2011). The Decline of Play and the Rise of Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents.  American Journal of Play, 3(4), 443-463. 

• Hall, G. S. (1904). Adolescence: Its Psychology and Its Relation to Physiology, Anthropology, Sociology, Sex,  Crime, Religion, and Education. D. Appleton and Company. 

• Isenberg, J., Quiseneberry, N. L. (1988). Play: A Necessity for all Children. Childhood  Education, 64(3), 138-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.1988.10521522

• Lillard, A. S., Lerner, M. D., Hopkins, E. J., Dore, R. A., Smith, E. D., Palmquist, C. M. (2013).  The impact of pretend play on children's development: a review of the evidence. PsycholBull,  139(1), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029321  

• Nell, M. L., Drew, W. F. (n.d.) Five Essentials to Meaningful Play. Retrieved from:  https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/five-essentials-meaningful-play 

• Play and Playground Encyclopedia. (2021). G Stanley Hall. Retrieved from:https://www.pgpedia.com/h/g-stanley-hall  

• Singer, J. L. (2006). Epilogue: Learning to Play and Learning Through Play In D. G. Singer, R.  M. Golinkoff, and K. Hirsh-Pasek (Eds.) Play = Learning: How Play Motivates and  Enhances Children’s Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth. Oxford University Press, 251-262. 

• Sutton-Smith, B. (1997). The Ambiguity of Play. First Harvard University Press.

• Sutton-Smith, B. (2003). Play as a Parody of Emotional Vulnerability. In D. E. Lytle (Ed.)  Play and Educational Theory and Practice (3-18). Praeger Publishers.  

• Sutton-Smith, B. (2017). Play for life : play theory and play as emotional survival. The Strong.

• White, R. E. (2012). The power of play: A research summary on play and learning. Minnesota Children’s  Museum Smart Play.