How Select Issue Impacts Children’s Play
CHYS 1002: Playful Pedagogy examines the relationship between childhood, development and play. In order to further advance understanding for this relationship, this essay will ask students to critically examine a particular children and play issue. Students will compose a Select Issue in Childhood, Development, and Play Term Essay. To do so, they will compose an essay that answers the following research question: How does the select issue impact children’s play? The select issue may include any of the topics discussed in class including identity and inequality, environments of play, public policy and service delivery, trauma, therapy and resilience, as well as citizenship rights. Within these categories, students can choose even more specific sub-topics (i.e. identity and inequality could discuss simply gender and play or trauma, therapy and resilience could discuss simply art therapy). Students may also select a topic of your choosing. If this is preferred, please take a moment to email the instructor simply to discuss and confirm the feasibility of the topic so as to set you up for success.
This assignment will be 6 full written pages in length. It will be written in Times New Roman size 12 font and double-spaced. It will require that at least 3 academic sources (books or journal articles) are included and 5 sources are used in total. The term essay is to be referenced using the APA citation guide Seventh Edition. This assignment is due through the Trent University Blackboard SafeAssign on Sunday, November 20th, 2022 at 11:59pm. As per program policy, late submissions will be deducted at a rate of 10% per day. Please be sure to avoid this penalty and submit on time.
In preparing your response, students will require following a formal academic essay format:
(i) An introduction with a topic sentence, background context, thesis and framework.
(ii) Three body sections that include a sub-topic sentence advancing the thesis (point), academic evidence (proof), and analytical discussion (explanation).
(iii) A conclusion that rephrases the thesis, highlights each of the sub-topics and concludes the overall argumentation. A more detailed example is provided below.
A successful term essay requires conducting research, integrating concepts from the class, and composing an essay that follows academic requirements. This requires time, effort, reflection, and precision.
Introduction
Introductory Topic Sentence – While there are a wide range of factors that influence children’s play, one of the most pervasive elements to consider are the role of gender norms.
Background Context – The reach of gender norms is ubiquitous rendering all individuals influenced by them. However, the extent to which gender norms are upheld or challenged will vary from person to person. This is no different in the context of children and play where society’s gender norms significantly facilitate or inhibit the experiences that children have in play. While gender equality is the aspirational goal that society should strive toward, gender norms significantly inhibit this ultimate goal.
Thesis Statement – Therefore, this paper will demonstrate the way in which gender norms can negatively influence children’s play and seek to demonstrate the necessity of advancing gender equality in children’s play.
Framework – Such circumstances will become evident by exploring how gender impacts the toys children play with, the roles that they take on in play, and the sports that children participate in.
Body of the Essay – Requires 3 sections that should include at least 2 arguments per section. Below is 1 argument example within 1 section.
EXAMPLE:
Section # 3 – How gender impacts the sports that children compete in.
Point – Gender norms significantly inform what is socially accepted and what is socially denied as it relates to the sports the children compete in.
Proof – One clear indication as to how gender norms influence the sports that children compete in, is the limited availability of some sports over others depending upon gender (Henning, 2018, 7).
Explanation* – For instance, the number of boys’ hockey teams significantly outnumbers the number of girls’ hockey teams. Gender norms have played a significant role in steering boys to hockey and girls to other sports, including, historically, the game of ringette. In more recent times however, there is a growing number of girls’ hockey teams, but various challenges remain. This includes the availability of facilities available to play at and potentially having to join regional rather than local teams.
Conclusion*
It has become clear that gender norms have significantly impacted children’s play and that such norms require contestation. This essay has aimed to demonstrate the realities of such circumstances highlighting first how gender norms problematically influences toy selection in the way girls are encouraged to select particular toys and boys another. Relatedly, gender significantly impacts what is deemed acceptable and what is denied in the roles girls and boys can take on in their dramatic play. Finally, sporting competition are still perpetuating particular norms for girls and boys respectively in the participation levels they experience. These three areas for exploring how gender impacts children’s play certainly shows the significant impact of gender norms on play and the importance of contesting such norms toward advancing gender equality in all forms of children’s play.
Title
Your name
Subject and Section
Professor’s name
Date
Introduction
According to UNICEF (2018), play is essential for children to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge. Thus, everyone must consider the factors that may affect play. The environment of play is one of the most significant aspects that may affect play. It can have a considerable impact on children’s development and learning. A healthy and sound environment enables babies and young children to play because they make them feel relaxed, at ease, and comfortable. A safe and secure environment allows children to explore and learn about their surroundings and freely see and touch the objects around them without fear. Also, the environment significantly impacts the child's growth and development, whether in the child’s physical location or physical or mental and emotional surroundings. The physical environment can influence a child's interests and activities, whereas the child's mental and emotional environment will influence how they surround themselves as they grow older. It is critical to remember that the environment created for young children during their developmental years is the environment they will engage in for the rest of their lives. However, if the environment is not enabling, the child will suffer negative consequences. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the environment parents provide for their children. They must create a caring environment. Also, exposing them to various environments will help them understand people with different backgrounds. Therefore, this paper aims to illustrate how the environment influences children’s play and promote a safe and conducive environment for children. The illustration would be possible by emphasizing the emotional, outdoor, and indoor difficulties.
Challenges in the Emotional Environment
The play’s environment can occur not only in physical locations but also in one’s feelings. The emotional environment is more concerned with the emotions of a child. The emotional environment includes the feelings of the children who stayed there, the staff and workers, and the parents who left their children to play. Children feel safe in their emotional environment because they know they have people around them who can help them, such as their parents, staff, and workers, or even playmates with whom they have emotional attachments (Kirk & Jay, 2018). The issue arises when the child is required to learn how to express their emotions and feelings. Children who do not know how to express their emotions may suffer negative consequences. They may keep their feelings to themselves, which is not good because they may explode sooner—for example, a child constantly afraid of making mistakes visits a playhouse. If a child does not communicate their needs and feelings, they will become aloof and participate less because they fear making mistakes. The problem does not end there; the child can now affect the playhouse's staff and those who play there. Suppose the staff teams a child an isolated child. In that case, they may become concerned and force the child to socialize with others occurs, the child will resist, and there will be a miscommunication because the child did not communicate their fear of their mistake and desire to be alone. In addition, it is not just the child who can affect the emotional environment; the people around them can also affect the emotional environment. For example, if a member of a playhouse’s staff has a problem and brings it to work, they may not function well and may be down-spirited. If this occurs, an event may negatively impact the staff’s attitude toward the children playing, and the children may already be down-spirited. As a result, it is critical that parents and other caregivers create an emotional environment in which children feel safe, secure, and at home. When children feel safe, they are less afraid to express their feelings and emotions and less likely to explore because they know they are free to do so. Even if they face difficulties, they know some people will help them. Even if they carry emotional burdens, they know some people will help them. In conclusion, an emotional environment that does not feel right may harm the children; on the other hand, an enabling emotional environment allows children to grow and develop more through discovery and exploration.
Challenges in Outdoor Environment
Children must play outside their homes but may be in danger if the outside environment is unsafe. Children must have opportunities to play outside of their homes. There are several advantages to playing outside the home. The children may be physically healthy because they are exposed to fresh air and sunlight, which allows them to obtain the necessary nutrients and vitamins. Furthermore, children's socialization skills may develop when they play outside their homes. They can meet new playmates with whom they can form relationships. Playing outside may boost children's confidence because they are outside their homes, serving as their haven. Also, playing outside allows children to connect with the environment by seeing the world's colors through the skies, sun, trees, flowers, and other objects (Pyle et al., 2018; Warde et al., 2018; Yogman et al., 2018). Finally, ...