Play and Childhood Development

The American Oxford Dictionary defines play as an engagement in activity for

enjoyment and recreation. It is an essential part of human growth and extends across a person's
lifespan. Several theorists have emphasized the importance of play in child development.
According to John Dewey (1909), play helps a person grow in both intellectual and social
aspects. It provides the conditions crucial for proper brain development in children (Kieff, 2000).
Jean Piaget, a Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher whose studies focus
mainly on children, proposed the theory of four developmental stages of childhood cognitive
development. These are the sensorimotor stage (from birth to 18-24 months), preoperational
stage (18-24 months to age 7), concrete operational stage (ages 7 to 11), and the formal
operational stage (12 onwards).
In the concrete operational stage, the child can think logically and perform mental
operations. It is also at this stage that the motor skills of the child such as running and jumping
are developed and refined to mastery. At this time, a category of play called organized games
with rules (Kieff, 2000) become common and important (Nixon and Gould 1999). Children are
able to follow the rules of a game and negotiate with other players to modify them, thus
enhancing their intellectual and social abilities (Kieff, 2000).
Play and Games in Children's Learning and Socialization
According to educational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Bloom (1956), there are three
domains of learning and development. First is the cognitive domain which involves one's mental
skills and knowledge. Another is the affective domain that pertains to an individual's growth in
attitude and emotional areas. Lastly, the psycho-motor domain refers to physical and manual

skills.
Christine Macintyre (2001) stated that play and games enhance a child's learning in each
domain. They are voluntary and enjoyable experiences that provide a suitable venue

for

acquiring knowledge. In games, children learn to apply the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor
skills they have obtained to become competent and knowledgeable. They learn to develop
consciousness about their world and other people around them.
Games also enhance children's communication skills essential for their socialization.
They help a child adapt socially by teaching the rules of society. At the same time, they provide a
means of escape from the restrictions of a community. Games encompass many generations,
hence, they are capable of creating and strengthening bonds among the old and the young.
Games, Culture, and Nationalism
In 1950, Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga stated the relationship
between play and culture. His book titled Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element
in Culture explained that play is interwoven to culture and it contributes to
the development of civilizations.

The norms and values shared within a

community shape the play practices of its people. John M. Roberts, Michael
J. Arth, and Robert R. Bush, folklorists and authors of Games in Culture,
stated that games are integrated into the cultures of ethnic groups and
tribes in many ways, for example, in their religion, war customs, or hunting
practices.
The term used to represent all types of recreational play in the
Philippines is laro (Lopez 1980). Traditional Philippine games are called

Laro ng Lahi, showing their value as cultural treasures of the Filipinos.

Iris M. Obsuna stated in her book with the same title that the Philippine
games embody and define the Filipino character and values. According to
Mellie Lopez in A Study of Philippine Games, the country's folk games
exhibit characteristics of the Malayan culture of the Filipinos: hierarchical,
personalized, family-centered, and fatalistic.
some, but not all,

The author also said that

games are derived from early Philippine customs and

beliefs.
Because of their importance to culture, games also serve as effective
cultural vehicles of nationalism. Lopez (1970) added in her book that if
Philippine games are harnessed to their full potentials, they can promote
national pride and harmony among the Filipinos. Altogether, Philippine
games make up an identity of the Filipino people they are a valuable
tradition that should be passed on by the elders of society to the next
generation.
Philippine Games for Physical Education

Encarnacion Callangan identified the needs and problems of physical education teachers
in the elementary schools of Cagayan (1970) in her Master's thesis. She found out that there is a
lack of materials and reference or guide books for physical education. Statistics showed that out
of all the schools that have reference materials, only 5% have books about Philippine games.
Activities for students include dances, group games, and basic game skills but the shortage of

equipment and reference books hinder the proper implementation of these activities. The author
further recommended that substitutes can be created from local materials if schools cannot afford
expensive equipment. Visual aids can also be used to facilitate the instruction of skills to the
students.