ho do better academically than children who are not in such programs. The children in child-initiated play programs also have superior emotional and social development.
Eliot (2000: 300-334) states that the connection between play and cognitive development may be found in some recent research on brain development. She reports that there is now a good deal of research indicating that during free play at school and the interaction associated with it, the neurons in children's brains are making more connections which are critical for reinforcing learning. Elliot (300-334) also points out that play and the interaction with others attendant to it operate to modulate the functional maturation of the brain, shaping the neuronal substrate for the development of intellectual as well as socioemotional abilities.
Santrock (2003: 200-226) reports that there are many different types of children's play, and each of these can have different effects in terms of how and what children learn. The types of play that children most frequently engage in, according to Santrock (200-226) are:
1. Sensorimotor Play which is usually associated with infancy and simply involves the five senses, e.g., movement, sound, visual exper
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