Abstract

In the past, it was discovered that play in early childhood was taken as a necessary in the life of any child forgetting that, play an also lead to many other discoveries. Hence, I decided to carryout my research on how p0lay can help to enrich a child’s language development Chomsky spoke on children’s acquisition of synating theory that has attracted a great deal of attention but has not been verified or disproved.

He spoke on the LAD and OAM that corresponds to grammar. Also Chomsky was supported by Bandura in his “bobo dull” (1961) and Piaget (1962), in his developmental theory of play. For Piaget, play involved several functions namely: Play and learning about symbols, Play and Pre-Operational stage, Play as an accommodation and assimilation reality, Play as an accommodation and assimilate reality, Play as a vehicle for overcoming Egocentrism.

Hence, imposing on the role of play in early childhood learning, two schools in which I came up with a sample population of 150 pupils, and my main result obtained were 18 questionnaires made up of 15 questionnaires. Finally, I concluded that key words are: Play, solidarity play, incorporating play, cooperative play, learning, and early childhood.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with background of the study which will tell us the various opinions of the theories talking on child’s language development, statement of the problem. Here, we will try to know the differences between cooperative play and solitary play.

Objectives of the study will deal with, how will play help in children language development. Research questions are those types of questions that are raised in a research, research hypothesis. This is to know how the “Null and Positive” suggestions may affect the variables. Delimitation of the study will deal with the Geographical and content Scope of the Study, Significance of the Study. Here, to know the important of this topic to various people for example, children, parents, teachers and society, Operational definition of terms. This will brighten the mind of the reader at each step of the research.

1.1 Background of the Study

Play is an activity that children do for fun, play is undoubtedly enjoyable for young children owing to the freedom it’s facilitate, the sense of ownership its affords and self esteem its promote. Through play, children can repeat, rehear and refine skills, displaying what they do know and practicing what they are beginning to understand. Over the years, educationists, developmental theorists have in their writings emphasized the role of play in cognitive and language development.

Play, according to Piaget (1962) is an ideal vehicle for developmental or experimental learning. Through play, young children solve problems and acquire enrich meaning for language and ideas. Groose (1989) studied play in young children and according to him, during the period of extended childhood, children engaged in play to learn and practice those skills necessary to be functioning adult members in the society. Groose also studied children’s imaginative symbolic play.

According to him, children ‘convert’ objects into whatever takes their fantasy; a chair for example can become a hospital bed. Groose’ writings have had a strong influence on educationists such as Maria Montessori whose teaching method reflects the preparatory aspect of play (Montessori, 1975). In Montessori’s view of play, children are provided with miniature versions of adult equipment such as chairs and are encouraged to imitate adult’s activities.

Freud (1905), children’s tendencies to repeat words when they first hear them is the way they practice their capacities. to him, children’s imaginative play and fantasies reveals something about their inner lives.

Chomsky (1972) and Vygotsky (1933) on their part emphasized the role of language and culture in children’s play. In the Cameroonian setting, play is that activity that gives children the freedom to express their creative capacities.

In Cameroon unlike in the West, partly because of economic problems, backwardness, parents can not afford toys, or play things for their kids. Children are thus obliged to create their own play things. Many at times we find children going to the bushes to cut bamboos which they device to make play objects like cars and airplanes which they have to use in their play.

One of the most important ways we can help children build an understanding of concepts we want them to learn in school is to provide them with long blocks of time that allow them to get deeply engrossed in play and we can maximize learning by providing open- ended materials such as blocks, play dough, building and college materials, generic dolls and animals.

These are the materials that foster extended play and new learning (Fromberg, 1997). With open – ended materials, children can work on concepts at their developmental level, bring their own narrative to the materials and make just about anything they need or want.

Low specificity toys are a stark contrast to the highly structured single- purpose, media linked toys that flood store shelves today. As we observe the concepts children are working on in play, we can provide follow-up activities to extend learning.

There is a compelling and growing body of research to show that play is essential for children’s academic success and when teachers intervene to scaffold new learning, the benefits of play are especially potent( Isanberg and Quisenberry, 2002; Singer et al. 2003).

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

More often than not, children involved in cooperative play are more advanced in language development than children involved in solidarity play. This is because in the cooperative play the children learn new capacities of their peers.

On the other hand, solitary play slows the reasoning capacity of children. For example there is great difference between a child learning how to play in – doors alone than a child that learns to play with friends.

1.3 Objective Of The Study

1.3.1 General Objectives

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of play in language development in early childhood learning

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of this research are:

1. To find out whether children who are involved in cooperative play develop more language skills than those involved in solitary play.
2. To find out how solitary play helps children learn
3. To find out how teachers incorporates play in their classroom activities to help children develop their language.

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