play
n. activities that appear to be freely sought and pursued solely for the sake of individual or group enjoyment. Play is a cultural universal and typically regarded as an important mechanism in children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Research on the topic abounds: Various types of play have been described—with locomotor play, object play, and social play generally considered to be the three basic forms—and numerous theories about the specific functions of play have been proposed. Advocates of the practice theory of play, for example, propose that play prepares children for activities or roles they will encounter as adults, whereas others suggest that it serves a more immediate function, such as exercise, establishing social relations among peers, or—according to the surplus energy theory—using up excess energy. Other theories include those of Sigmund Freud,
who claimed that play is a means for children to deal with anxiety-producing events; Jean Piaget, who believed that play promotes cognitive competence by helping children incorporate new information into existing cognitive structures; Erik Erikson, who viewed play sequences as models by which children relive aspects of the past, represent aspects of the present, and anticipate aspects of the future; and Lev Vygotsky, who conceived of play as facilitating symbolic processes by providing children with opportunities to establish meaning. Although the preponderance of research on play focuses on the activities of children, the play behavior of nonhuman animals is also actively studied. Often including components of courtship, aggression, predation, and sexual behavior in contexts where these do not seem appropriate, animal play appears to serve several important developmental functions. These include fostering the acquisition of social
skills and the formation of social relationships, enhancing confidence (e.g., by teaching a young animal the flexibility to respond to unexpected events such as being knocked off balance), and strengthening sensorimotor systems.