Chapter 4 Discussion: Play
This discussion post has two parts: Share a favorite Play Memory and Share an Example of Imitation
1. In the opening of this module, I told a story about some of my favorite play memories outdoors as a child. In this discussion post, I’d like you to think about a favorite play memory from your childhood. Briefly share your memory and then reflect on what you were learning while you played. What area of development did you enhance? When you think about this play experience, do you find you are still interested in these kinds of play or do you express this in your work?
For example, my oldest son is an architect. As a child he loved to play with blocks, draw and later tinker on the computer. Those early play experiences and interests are definitely connected to his work as an architect. Do you see a connection from your play favorite play experiences to your current job interests or hobbies?
2. In the chapter we learned about Bandura’s social cognitive theory. In this theory he asserts that children learn by imitating others. When my youngest son was about three, he noticed me throwing a pair of socks up the stairs in our home to his big brother(throwing things up or down the stairs was not allowed in our home!). He watched me do this, stood with his hands on his hips and said in a very loud voice ”Mom! That’s not apopiate (appropriate) behavior!” Wow! Where do you think a three year old learned that? He had my behavior down to the tone of my voice, hands on the hips and used a big vocabulary word for a three year old!
Share an example of a time you notice a child imitating others. Who were they imitating? Parents, siblings, friends, characters on the television? Was it a positive or negative behavior they were imitating?
