NannyCast 23: Play  Early Child Development Series. This episode covers everything you could possibly learn about children and their play. We cover the six types of play as taught in ECE classes, as well as the two types of play-with-adults as taught to psychotherapists. And we teach you why play is important, not just that play is important. And for the human resources connection? This is your professional development, free! (download) Additional Show Notes:Dr. Diane Philipp on Child Led PlayYou and Your Young ChildDanielle Shirley on PlayChild-Directed Play and Parent-Directed Play: Two Ways for Parents to Play with Their ChildrenDr. Jeffrey Trawick-Smith on The Importance of Play Transcript: Hello, and welcome to another informative episode of NannyCast. I’m Nanny Jen. In 2012, NannyCast launched its first season with an inaugural episode on play. Since then our initial podcast host went out of business, taking with it over 20 episodes of awesome, edifying information, and other nanny podcasts have sprung up in the field, which has caused us to refine our focus to JUST the employee or human resources part of nannying. However, a recording of our very first ever episode of NannyCast has surfaced and it is on the topic of play. We had lots of questions and not many answers, so we remixed the episode to be an early childhood development lesson on the six types of play and the importance of play. If you have an Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood Development degree, this may be redundant material, so we understand if you wish to skip to the next podcast on your playlist and we will see you next time, for the rest of you, let’s delve in! [first old episode clip] So, that first type of play that we described is called Child Led Play and is named in a mostly self-explanatory way. Here is Dr. Diane Philipp, a child psychologist, explaining Child Led Play. [philipp clip] Child led play is letting the child have full, and bossy, creative control over how an adult is going to play with them. It is sometimes also called child directed play or at times filial - which has its root word in the same word as family - therapy. Here is why this type of play is GREAT! [Dana Stanton interviews Danielle Massaglia] [OG NannyCast] That kind of play where the child takes an observational role is the second type of play with an adult. It is called, well, I’ll let Danielle Shirley take it from here. [D Shirley Clip] [OG NannyCast] This daydreaming is a kind of play too! Ms. Shirley, fill us in! [D Shirley] [OG NannyCast] The type of play being described behind my adult checks is the opposite of child directed play. It is called, unsurprisingly, adult directed play. And it is important too! Play shouldn’t just be child directed.  With  adult directed play, the adult will choose a specific type of activity for adult and child to engage with together.  Adult directed play tends to focus on dimensions of nurturance, structure, challenge, and engagement. [OG NannyCast] The unique special benefit of adult directed play is that it will help the child gain comfort and trust in following that adult’s directions. Clearly, I had failed at the “fun” part if my charges were checking out. [OG NannyCast] Ms. Shirley, what type of play is Nanny Denny describing? [D Shirley] [OG NannyCast] It sounds like I am describing reading during parallel play as well, doesn’t it? But I’m not! I’m describing [D Shirley] [OG NannyCast] Playdates are a type of play too! It can either be cooperative play [D Shirley] or associative play. [D Shirley] And that covers all the different types of play. All that is left is to cover why play is important. We saved it for last because you always save the best for last. You’ve heard the rather famous quote which is quote play is the work of the child end quote and has been attributed both to Maria Montessori of the Montessori method and Montessori schools, but also to Jean Piaget who is the developmental psychologist responsible fo