Piaget's account of ludic symbolism: make-believe play as symbolic assimilation bridging concrete experience and abstract thought¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Piaget's concept of ludic symbolism holds that the hallmark of make-believe play is using objects as symbols for absent objects or people, accompanied by joy and delight. The paper explains that "Play bridges the gap between concrete experience and abstract thought," with the child handling concrete objects sensori-motorly while they symbolize something else being thought. Make-believe play represents "pure assimilation," in which the child freely interprets or distorts reality without conforming to real-world demands, in contrast to imitation, where accommodation takes precedence. The paper traces symbolic play through Piaget's types and subtypes, from projecting schemata onto new objects to interiorized daydreams and collective symbolism.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• An environment with time, privacy, varied play materials, and content for make-believe, as the paper states children need for fantasy play

Constraints¶

• The paper notes Piaget developed the account observing his own bright, privileged children, and probably served as an unconscious model himself

Target Learners¶

• children aged roughly two to seven (preoperational period)

Target Learning Objectives¶

• symbolic representation and imaginative thinking as foundations of cognitive development

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Piaget's taxonomy of play: practice games, symbolic games, and games with rules
• Stages of Cognitive Development
• Play and Cognitive Development
• Piaget's stages as an ordinal hierarchy of schemes for coping with the environment

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Third Invitational Interdisciplinary Seminar: Piagetian Theory and Its Implications for the Helping Professions. (1973). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED092496