Michael, when you write:
>Play emerges
>at around the age of three as part of the merging of thinking and
>speech
You start me wondering about how early children "play" and "make
imaginative use of objects" -- as I have just read the dissertation of a
colleague (it is unfortunately in Swedish) who has made video-recordings of
toddlers (13 to 23 months) in their first months in daycare, focusing on
"what their awareness is directed towards," and there are several examples
at least of "imaginative use of objects" -- one of them is a 20-month girl
who "plays shop" (by herself) with an imaginary customer -- she is speaking
in two-or-three-word sentences.
Another example is of how a fake baby-bottle changes its meaning/ /function
for a little boy of 18-months. I'll translate this for you:
"Arne, 18 months, finds a doll's baby bottle filled with 'milk'. He tries
to feed a doll and puts the bottle to her mouth, but no milk comes out of
the bottle. Arne raises the doll straight up and tries to feed her this
way, but still no result. Now he starts looking at and pulling the nipple
of the bottle. He presses and squeezes the bottle, but still nothing
happens. Arne says "no" and remains standing where he is with an
absentminded expression on his face. Suddenly he runs up to his father and
pretend-feeds him, then he feeds the nurse, then also a little girl who is
nearby. He goes on to feed everybody present, over and over."
What do you think of this as an example of "like real action but only
'play'" as Jay expressed the matter? It certainly seems like the kid found
a new way of making sense of the bottle (he must have been very new to the
daycare environment, as his father was still there with him. Also, there is
info that he started at 18m)
Eva