Bob Hughes

By Sophie and Molly

Who is Bob Hughes?

• He developed different play types for the purposes of adults that study play.

• They are useful in helping us be more specific when we are talking about play and how children learn.

Different plays• Symbolic play- play which allows control, gradual exploration and increase

understanding without it becoming difficult for a child.• Rough and tumble play- close contact play which is less to do with fighting and more

to do with physical contact such as touching, tickling or exploring different strengths. • Socio-dramatic play- Acting out real experiences, this could be children playing in a

home corner. This could be of an intense, personal, social or domestic nature.• Social play- Activities that allow social engagement and interaction for example;

group activities. • Creative play- Play which allows a new response with an element of surprise, this

could be something a child hasn’t experienced before; making them aware of new information.

• Dramatic play- Activities where children are assigned roles to act out which can be used to pretend to be someone/something different than themselves.

• Role play- Exploring ways of expressing different roles for example; dressing up or playing doctors.

Different plays• Deep play- Play which allows the child to experience an element of risk which challenges

them to develop survival skills/conquer fears. This could be going on a school trip or camping.

• Exploratory play- Play which consists of handling, throwing, banging or mouthing objects. This helps them to gain new information and explore the world.

• Fantasy play- A play which rearranges the world in a child's way, this enhances imagination and helps them see the world through their own eyes.

• Imaginative play- Play where real life rules don’t apply.• Locomotor play- Movement in any or every direction with no purpose therefore they

develop physical skills.• Mastery play- Allowing children to take control of things so they can perfect there skills.

It builds confidence and develops self awareness.• Object play- Handling physical things including pots and pans in ways that show curiosity.• Recapitulative play- where children display aspects of human evolutionary history. For

example, rubbing sticks together to make fire.