The lives of infants consist predominantly of eating, sleeping, and playing. While eating and sleeping are physiological necessities, playing games is essential for a child’s social and physical development. The importance of play as a foundational need is underscored by its inclusion as a right of every child by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner 1989). While it may seem that this should be an effortless element of child development, this right can be undermined in many ways, including through neighbourhood and family violence, preoccupied parents, and limited resources for those who live in poverty (Ginsburg, The Committee on Communications, and The Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health 2007).
Three categories of play have been found to promote physical activity, including rhythmic stereotypies, exercise, and rough-and-tumble play (Pellegrini and Smith 1998). All of these forms of play exercise gross motor skills and are considered to be “physical activity” for young children (Burdette and Whitaker 2005). Further, each is prevalent through a different stage of childhood (Pellegrini and Smith 1998). Exercise throughout childhood is essential to prevent excess weight gain and to avoid chronic health problems later in life (Ward 2010).
Rhythmic stereotypies consist of common, repetitive, rhythmic movements and are the form of play which predominates in infancy (Péter, Oliphant, and Fernandez 2017; Pellegrini and Smith 1998). These movements stem from the frontostriatal pathways in the brain, which are responsible for dictating habitual and goal-directed patterns (Figure 1) (Mahone et al. 2014). While these impulses can be indicators of autism spectrum disorder or neurological disability, primary stereotypies are purely physiological and are essential for infantile development (Péter, Oliphant, and Fernandez 2017).
An example of rhythmic stereotypies in infant play includes the erratic banging of objects, which eventually progresses to the use of a percussive tool (Lockman and Tamis-LeMonda 2021). Over time infants show more consistent, controlled, and straighter percussive actions exemplifying the development of motor skills (Figure 2). This is representative of the cognitive-developmental theory, which highlights how infants progress from exploratory to functional to elaborate forms of play (Lockman and Tamis-LeMonda 2021). This theory, established by Jean Piaget, comments on how innate human reflexes evolve over the life course into purposeful and essential actions (Soran University et al. 2019). Motor stereotypies can therefore be said to strengthen muscles, which are used for essential motor functions throughout childhood and into adulthood.
Engaging in social play is vital for infant development, regardless of whether it occurs between parent and child or among children. Studies show that toddlers who have had a secure attachment to their parents during their early years can use significantly more words during free play (Main 1983). Further, securely attached toddlers were significantly more likely to approach a potential playmate and engage in play with peers (Main 1983). In 1955, Freud argued that play allowed for the mastery of anxiety-producing events and believed that the practice of confronting obstacles through repetitive play was crucial in transitioning into adult life (Barnett 1990).
Play is essential in infancy and throughout childhood to facilitate foundational physical, cognitive, and social development. Given its significance, play has been identified as a human right to create policies that highlight developmental needs and afford protection to the lives of children. In the first months of life, play is reflected through motor stereotypies and eventually evolves into play with peers. In sum, play is a fundamental aspect of early life that begins in infancy and remains essential for supporting healthy development in children for years to come.
References
Barnett, Lynn A. 1990. “Developmental Benefits of Play for Children.” Journal of Leisure Research 22 (2): 138–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1990.11969821.
Burdette, Hillary L., and Robert C. Whitaker. 2005. “Resurrecting Free Play in Young Children: Looking Beyond Fitness and Fatness to Attention, Affiliation, and Affect.” Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 159 (1): 46. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.159.1.46.
Ginsburg, Kenneth R., The Committee on Communications, and The Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. 2007. “The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds.” Pediatrics 119 (1): 182–91. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-2697.
Lockman, Jeffrey J., and Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda. 2021. “Young Children’s Interactions with Objects: Play as Practice and Practice as Play.” Annual Review of Developmental Psychology 3 (1): 165–86. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-050720-102538.
Mahone, E Mark, Matthew Ryan, Lisa Ferenc, Christina Morris‐Berry, and Harvey S Singer. 2014. “Neuropsychological Function in Children with Primary Complex Motor Stereotypies.” Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 56 (10): 1001–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.12480.
Main, Mary. 1983. “Exploration, Play, and Cognitive Functioning Related to Infant-Mother Attachment.” Infant Behavior and Development 6 (2–3): 167–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0163-6383(83)80024-1.
Péter, Zsanett, Melody E. Oliphant, and Thomas V. Fernandez. 2017. “Motor Stereotypies: A Pathophysiological Review.” Frontiers in Neuroscience 11 (March). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2017.00171.
Psych Scene Hub. 2019. “Neurobiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – A Primer.” Psych Scene Hub. March 21, 2019. https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/neurobiology-of-adhd/.
Soran University, Zana Hasan Babakr, Pakstan Mohamedamin, and Karwan Kakamad. 2019. “Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory: Critical Review.” Education Quarterly Reviews 2 (3). https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.02.03.84.
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. 1989. “Convention on the Rights of the Child.” United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. November 20, 1989. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child.
Ward, Dianne S. 2010. “Physical Activity in Young Children: The Role of Child Care.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 42 (3): 499–501. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ce9f85.