In the late 19th century, Groos developed the first theory of play informed by an understanding of evolution by natural selection. The practice theory.
Hello - I am training in retained reflex integration therapy. We aim to integrate any primitive survival instincts that haven't completed their development journey, and go on to cause a delay. These reflexes should be integrated by movement, and undirected play is the quickest way to develop primitive reflexes into postural reflexes ie survival instinct into purposeful movements. Movement such as crawling helps to develop vision and promotes connection between the left and right hand side of the brain, to then go on to develop good gross motor skills that we may need to hunt animals for food. Children need good gross motor skills before they can develop the fine motor skills for writing etc, and by devaluing play we are hindering their educational skills. I am training in Rhythmic Training Movement International, which was developed by Dr Harald Blomberg, a psychiatrist who worked with children with huge development delays in the Romanian Orphanages in the early 90's. We need movement to integrate reflexes and create connections in the brain, and the children in the orphanages showed what happens when there is no opportunity for this. Reading your post without know any about about the work of Groos makes me think that he recognised the importance of play without the knowledge of the primitive and postural reflexes behind it
This reminds me of how 'play' is described in Andreas Wagner's 2019 book (Life Finds a Way: What Evolution Teaches Us About Creativity).
Great article! Thank you for all your research!
In this section: Application of Groos’s Theory to Humans, in the second paragraph, it says apples to humans (applies).
Hello - I am training in retained reflex integration therapy. We aim to integrate any primitive survival instincts that haven't completed their development journey, and go on to cause a delay. These reflexes should be integrated by movement, and undirected play is the quickest way to develop primitive reflexes into postural reflexes ie survival instinct into purposeful movements. Movement such as crawling helps to develop vision and promotes connection between the left and right hand side of the brain, to then go on to develop good gross motor skills that we may need to hunt animals for food. Children need good gross motor skills before they can develop the fine motor skills for writing etc, and by devaluing play we are hindering their educational skills. I am training in Rhythmic Training Movement International, which was developed by Dr Harald Blomberg, a psychiatrist who worked with children with huge development delays in the Romanian Orphanages in the early 90's. We need movement to integrate reflexes and create connections in the brain, and the children in the orphanages showed what happens when there is no opportunity for this. Reading your post without know any about about the work of Groos makes me think that he recognised the importance of play without the knowledge of the primitive and postural reflexes behind it