Illinois
School for the Visually Impaired
658 East State Street • Jacksonville, Illinois
62650-2130
Toll Free: 800-919-5617 • Voice: 217-479-4400 • TTY: 217-479-4415 • Fax:
217-479-4479
www.isvi.net • E-mail:
ISVI
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July's - Tip For Parents The Importance of Play What is play and why is it so important? Play is what children do; it’s how they learn. Play is the vehicle that kids use to find out about the world. When a visual impairment interferes with a child's ability to explore his/her world visually, a child must use his other senses of touch, hearing, and smell to learn about and explore his environment. Early play behavior is critical to later developing skills such as social, cognitive, language, sensory and motor development. Parents of visually impaired children need to be aware of the impact vision loss has on the quality of their child’s play experiences. Below is a list of things to consider when assisting your visually impaired child in developing age appropriate play skills: For children who have low vision, high contrast in colors should be part of the selection criteria for toys. Attention should be given to texture and sound in addition to appearance (many plastic toys are unappealing tactually and are not appropriate for children who are blind or who have low vision). Textures and sounds may be more important than colors and details. If pretend play is expected, then provide the experience with the real object first. Visually impaired children may play independently (as opposed to cooperatively) longer than sighted children. The concepts of "sharing" and "taking turns" are largely visually based, and must be specifically taught to visually impaired children before they can interact with peers in a play situation. "Play" is presumed to be a natural skill for children, but it may need to be part of an intervention program for visually impaired children. Conventional, off the shelf, toys and games are sometimes difficult to access or manipulate. One way to increase the probability that children with visual impairments will play with toys is to make them easier to hold, carry and manipulate. Structuring play by making simple adaptations or modifications including extending toys ( i.e. building up adaptations on knobs and buttons); attaching toys (i.e. shoelaces, links, bells or attached velcro); stabilizing toys (i.e. velcro, dycem, tempo loop fabric, suction cups, carpet squares) and confining toys (i.e. hula hoops, box lids, lap table, to define play space) assist children in engaging successfully in play activities. When selecting toys keep in mind the goals for the play interaction. Some toys and materials are better for solitary play ( e.g., books, puzzles, play dough), while others are better for facilitating peer interactions (e.g., blocks, action figures, puppets, toy vehicles). Whatever type of toy is selected, consider its safety, durability and motivational value. Most visually impaired children prefer toys that light up, vibrate, move, or make noise. When possible toys should cover a range from realistic to imaginative to engage the child in both concrete and pretend play. (Foley,1996) With appropriate adaptations and some creativity children with visual impairments can engage in meaningful play activities that support their future growth and development. For additional information and suggestions: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Diane Wayne |
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