Game, as Huizinga mentioned (1984), is a voluntary activity with spatial and temporal limits, based on a freely accepted rule and a goal. In it, feelings of joy, tension, as well as the awareness of experiencing something different from what is happening in life, are developed. This activity, quite the opposite of the fame it has received in education, is not a harmful occupation that should be reduced. Free play is fundamental to children’s development, therefore should not be the activity they have access when they have finished what the teacher considers academic because it does not allow them to carry out an activity that is very necessary for their growth. Besides, the game should not be used as a pseudo-game to work on curricular content because it loses its essence and denatures the activity (Hoyuelos, 2015). In this sense, it is necessary to be clear about the idea that the author explains that playing is uncertain, unpredictable activity and this is what makes it so fascinating. In these moments of free play children imagine what might happen, they feel differently, try things out, imagine, etc. Children use the game to go through paths that otherwise wouldn’t be possible (Hoyuelos, 2015).
Furthermore, through play, children put into practice their ability to see everything around them from a poetic perspective, even when the topics are as complicated as loneliness, abandonment, friendship, etc. On many occasions children use play as a tool to address all those topics not considered for children. However, we are not aware of the great capacity for understanding and poetic process, which is surprisingly natural, that children develop through play to deal with such topics that we consider inappropriate for their age. Another characteristic of this activity is that it is typical of childhood because adults can not play, we try to represent it in the best possible way, but we do not be part of the game as children do. We may, therefore, be constantly asking ourselves what the purpose of this is, as if it had to be an activity based on logic. This does not mean that the game is incoherent, on the contrary, those who are immersed in it are able to perceive and interpret its meaning (Hoyuelos, 2015)
On the other hand, at the moments of free play children will be influenced by their age and the materials provided. They may develop pre-symbolic or symbolic play, although the latter increases between the ages of two and five (Gallardo & Gallardo, 2018). Moreover, it is essential to bear in mind that different types of materials lead to different types of play.
References
Gallardo, P & Gallardo, J.A. (2018). Teorías sobre el juego y su importancia como recurso educativo para el desarrollo integral infantil. Revista Educativa Hekademos, 24.
Hoyuelos, A. (2015). Cultura de la infancia y ámbitos de juego. En Hoyuelo, A y Riera, M.A. Complejidad y relaciones en educación infantil. Barcelona: Rosa Sensat.
Huizinga, J. (1984). Homo Ludens. Madrid: Alianza.
Authorship
Sofía Cuevas Llorente y Lucía Martínez Gutiérrez, 2020.