Play: The most important developmental tool

S2Ep7: Play is the work of childhood but what does that actually look like in the first year of life? In this episode, Jen and Hannah are joined by Jane, a psychologist and mother of three at Ngala, to explore how babies play long before they ever pick up a Barbie or a dinosaur.

Jane unpacks two powerful theories of play, Vygotsky's social scaffolding and Piaget's "little scientist" model, and explains why both give parents permission to show up differently on different days. From the "serve and return" interaction and object permanence through peekaboo, to the honest conversation about phones and the still face experiment, this episode reframes play as something that's already happening and something that benefits parents just as much as their babies.

Resources:📞 Need more help? For those in Western Australia, you can call the Ngala Parenting Line on 08 9368 9368 for free expert support from our team.

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Timecodes:

(00:00) Introduction "Play is the work of childhood"

(01:00) Jane introduces herself

(01:30) What is play, really? Beyond Barbies and dinosaurs

(03:00) Two theories of play: Vygotsky vs. Piaget

(05:30) Independent play giving yourself permission to step back

(07:00) Normalising that play doesn't come naturally to every parent

(08:45) Serve and return the tennis game between baby and caregiver

(10:45) How play builds brain architecture and neural networks

(11:30) Play as mindfulness for parents

(13:00) How play supports language development

(16:00) Practical play ideas for the early months sensory, faces and lotion time

(18:15) Books, puzzles and letting go of the predetermined outcome

(20:45) Peekaboo and object permanence

(22:00) Play ideas for the second half of the first year pulling up, tempo games

(23:15) Winding down the importance of regulating play before bed

(24:30) Bath time and water play

(25:30) Nature as the ultimate sensory playground

(29:45) Do babies need toys? What the research actually says

(33:45) The still face experiment and phones an honest conversation

(36:15) Wrap up and Ngala Parenting LineFollow Ngala 🌐Instagram 🔗https://www.instagram.com/ngala.official/Facebook 🔗https://www.facebook.com/Ngala.Official/LinkedIn 🔗

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ngala/?originalSubdomain=au

Produced by Podwave Studios: https://podwavestudios.au/

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