Topic 6 Mature play

  • Common to all of these types of play

  • Defined as the children’s ability to use their creativity and imagination to create and change the rules à they focus on an object’s abstract properties rather than its concrete attributes

  • The roles associated with a theme in mature play are not stereotypical or limited

  • Benefits: children become aware of different symbolic systems that will serve them later when they start mastering letters and numbers.

Concluding thoughts

These types of activities usually happen naturally for children, on their own, or driven by their peers, and adults should give them space to do so, but can also promote them. Children learn how to interact with their surroundings and, more importantly, with themselves through playing.