Developing the child’s potentials through play: The police children’s college, Oji River experience

This study seeks to identify traditional games, its uses and importance to the overall development (physical, mental, social, moral and intellectual) of the child. The study is participatory in approach and qualitative in nature. The work is based on the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud who opined that during play, the child expresses negative emotions which they have no control in their everyday lives. Freud sees play in terms of catharsis- purgation of emotions. It is his contention that playing provides a safe haven for the child to discharge these emotions and gain control, since play is intrinsically motivated. It is supported by the psychosocial theory of Lev Vygostsky, who views play as a significant tool for children’s development. According to him, children make meaning of their environment through play and that play helps to develop 85% of a child’s brain during the first five years of their life. The data for the study were collected using two methods, namely: practical experiment with the pupils and the participatory approach involving the researcher and primary three and four pupils of Police Children’s School, Oji River, Enugu State. The data from the various games played were assessed and analyzed using explanation analysis from the different practical sessions. Ten traditional games were selected and used by the researcher for the experiment. The researcher concludes that a child’s imaginative and problem-solving abilities are enhanced when they participate and play together as a group. The work therefore recommends the application and use of the traditional games in the education of the child as this will invariably lead to the production of a sound individual capable of contributing to the growth of our nation, Nigeria.