Play as Learning, Psychology of

Rogelio Puente

Learning plays a very important role in human development. Learning starts from the moment we are born and does not stop until we cease to exist. Given the importance of learning, it is not surprising that a great deal of work has been devoted to understanding how the human mind learns and also to determine the activities that facilitate learning. One of these activities is play. Play has a very important role in infant development and also facilitates learning significantly. However, the value of play in children's learning frequently comes under attack. Most of the attacks seem to stem from a conceptualization of human development and learning from the “cognitive child” point of view, whereas the other side, the one that defends and encourages play, conceptualizes human development and learning from “the whole child” perspective. Even though there is plenty of evidence supporting the value of play, the way government ...

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