News
Rough and Tumble Play of Infants and Toddlers
5 Dec 2008
At the December 2008 Zero to Three conference, Michelle T Tannock, PhD and Nancy M Sileo, PhD from the University of Nevada, presented information from their research into rough and tumble play. The project set out to consider the "distinct behavioural expressions of infants and toddlers...and the efforts of educators and families to appraise, consider and intervene in their efforts to enhance their understanding of child growth and development." Catherine D Lyons, PhD was also involved in the project.
Rough and tumble play, as described by Fergus P Hughes's Spontaneous Play in the 21st Century (1996), is one of many types of play that children will engage in as toddlers. Children who engage in rough and tumble play typically display acts involving running, climbing, chasing, play fighting, fleeing, wrestling, falling and open-handed slaps.
In infancy, physical touching, laughing, holding and a reflex grip are classified as rough and tumble play while in the toddler years, it involves climbing on furniture and people, tossing toddlers in the air, running, jumping, chasing, wrestling, crashing piles of blocks, lifting friends, kicking balls and throwing everything.
Tannock and Sileo remind us that rough and tumble play is a normal part of childhood. They discovered in their research that it occurs both indoors (38 per cent) and outdoors (62 per cent), is predominantly a peer form of play and varies between boys and girls (more boys engaged in rough and tumble play than girls). It mimics intentionally aggressive actions and is more symbolic of aggression rather than being true aggression. Players do not intend to hurt partners.
There are many benefits of rough and tumble play:
- Emotional - enjoyment, fun, love of life; release of energy, tension reduction; self-expression
- Social - cooperation, sharing, turn-taking, conflict resolution, leadership skill development, control of impulses and aggressive behaviour
- Educational - experimentation and risk taking, practice of skills, self-confidence, self-esteem, communication skills, attention regulation and persistence
(5 December 2008, Zero to Three Conference)
For more information about Zero to Three visit www.zerotothree.org.
