58 Play is the answer to how anything new comes about. Piaget Do not tell them how to do it. Show them how to do it and do not say a word. If you tell them, they will watch your lips move. If you show them, they will want to do it themselves. Montessori PLAY THEORIES What are play theories? Play theories consider that play is a fundamental component of human development. Play is not simply a pastime, it is a dynamic, active, and interactive experience that trains multiple skills necessary for physical, cognitive, and emotional growth. Through play, children learn to explore the world, experiment with social interactions, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. G. Bateson s idea was that play serves as a fundamental form of communication that goes beyond the literal interpretation of actions; in other words, children use play to convey messages about how their actions should be understood. By using play, pretending, and clearly saying This is play , children can experiment, take risks, and explore different roles in a safe and controlled environment. Main theories J. Bruner thought that play facilitates learning because it allows children to explore concepts in a tangible and engaging way. Since learning is a process where children revisit ideas, building upon them, play allows them to do just so at their own level. For this reason, children should be kept busy in activities that are iterative and progressive. J. Piaget believed play was crucial in cognitive development during early childhood as it is the natural setting for experimenting, exploring, and understanding the environment in a creative and autonomous way. Children should be offered activities that stimulate their inner curiosity and provided challenges appropriate to their cognitive stage. ONLINE RESOURCES The Montessori School method to convey: trasmettere hands-on: concreto inner: interiore iterative: ripetitivo onlooker: spettatore pretend play: gioco del fare finta to tailor: personalizzare 120 BABIES AND CHILDREN L. Vygotsky affirmed that play is a driving force behind cognitive growth. Particularly important is pretend play, which promotes the chance to experiment with societal roles, reflecting on one s experiences and interpreting the actions and behaviours of others. Children should be presented with activities that encourage collaborative play and take into consideration all the different backgrounds of the children, offering roles and scenarios that challenge them and providing subtle guidance to accompany them to their ZPD. M. Parten theorised that children go through six stages of play (unoccupied, solitary, onlooker, parallel, associative, and cooperative). Adults should support children along the process, providing necessary resources and tailoring activities to suit the various stages. M. Montessori emphasised how children learn through hands-on, purposeful activities that increase their independence, cognitive and motor skills. For her, play is the work of the child, and, through it, children develop their abilities and understand the world around them. Children who are curious and naturally motivated to learn should be encouraged in making choices for themselves and experimenting with activities that imitate real-world tasks in calm, organised spaces in order to promote self-directed learning and autonomy.