PSYC 221

Essay: Article Review – Care and Play Assignment Instructions

Overview

As we continue to learn about infants through three-year-old children, it’s important to understand how care and play impact cognitive and psychosocial development in children. It is also critical to examine the relationship between parents, children, caregivers, and peers. Exploring the correlations between how children learn and interact through care and play is important.

Instructions

Review the article “Toddlers as the one-caring: co-authoring play narratives and identities of care”. Create an Essay: Article Review – Care and Play Assignment using the article “Toddlers as the one-caring: co-authoring play narratives and identities of care”, that can be found under the Essay: Article – Care and Play Resources section. Use the information below to create your Essay:

· Discuss the impact of play and care on development in toddlers.

· What did you learn from this study?

· What is important for parents to keep in mind regarding play and care with toddlers?

· How does our faith speak to the need for care and play in our own lives?

· The article review should be at least 500 words of content (not including the Reference page)

· The article review uses current APA formatting.

· A title page is not required, but a reference page is required.

· There should be at least three references in total.

· Include the required journal article reference:

Cooper, M. & Quiñones, G. (2022) Toddlers as the one-caring: Co-authoring play narratives and identities of care. Early Child Development and Care, 192(6), 964-979. doi: 10.1080/03004430.2020.1826465

· The textbook must be included as a reference.

Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

This assignment asks you to write an article review analyzing how play and care influence toddler development. Your goal is to summarize the research, reflect on what you learned, connect the findings to parenting practices, and integrate a faith perspective. Follow the steps below to organize your essay clearly and meet all requirements.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Article Review

Step 1: Write a Brief Introduction (1 Paragraph)

Start your essay by introducing the importance of play and caregiving in early childhood development.

Your introduction should:

Mention that toddlers develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally through play.
Introduce the article by Cooper & Quiñones (2022).
Briefly state what your review will discuss.

Example structure:

Sentence 1: Introduce toddler development.
Sentence 2: Introduce the article and its research focus.
Sentence 3: State the purpose of your review.

Section 1: Impact of Play and Care on Toddler Development

Step 2: Summarize the Main Findings of the Article

In this section, explain how play and caregiving influence development according to the study.

Key points you may discuss:

Toddlers develop social understanding through pretend play.
Children often imitate caregiving roles they observe from adults.
Play helps toddlers build empathy, communication skills, and emotional understanding.
Through collaborative play, toddlers create shared narratives and identities of care.

Explain how these interactions contribute to:

Cognitive development
Social skills
Emotional growth

Use citations from the article to support your explanation.

Example citation:

(Cooper & Quiñones, 2022)

Section 2: What You Learned From the Study

Step 3: Reflect on the Study’s Key Insights

Now move beyond summary and explain what you personally learned from the research.

Possible discussion points:

Toddlers are capable of demonstrating care and empathy earlier than many people expect.
Play is not just entertainment; it is a powerful learning tool.
Children actively co-construct social understanding with peers during play.

Explain why these findings are meaningful for understanding child development.

Section 3: What Parents Should Keep in Mind

Step 4: Apply the Findings to Parenting

Discuss practical implications for parents and caregivers.

Important ideas may include:

Encouraging imaginative play.
Providing opportunities for social interaction with peers.
Modeling caring behaviors that children can imitate.
Allowing children time for unstructured play.

Explain that these experiences help children develop:

Emotional intelligence
Social awareness
Communication skills

Support your ideas using both the article and your textbook.

Section 4: Integrating Faith and Personal Reflection

Step 5: Discuss the Role of Faith

Your assignment asks you to reflect on how faith speaks to the need for care and play in our lives.

You can approach this by explaining:

Many faith traditions emphasize love, compassion, and caring for others.
Play and nurturing relationships reflect the value of community and human connection.
Caring interactions with children reflect spiritual principles such as kindness and service.

You may also mention that faith encourages adults to value joy, creativity, and nurturing relationships, which are reflected in children’s play.

Step 6: Write a Conclusion (1 Paragraph)

End your essay by summarizing the key points:

The importance of play and caregiving in toddler development.
What the research revealed about how toddlers learn empathy and social roles.
Why parents and caregivers should support play-based learning.
How faith perspectives encourage nurturing and caring relationships.

Your conclusion should reinforce the idea that play and care are essential elements of healthy childhood development.

Step 7: Format Your References Page (APA)

Your paper must include at least three references.

Required reference:

Cooper, M., & Quiñones, G. (2022). Toddlers as the one-caring: Co-authoring play narratives and identities of care. Early Child Development and Care, 192(6), 964–979. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2020.1826465

Additional references should include:

Your course textbook
One additional scholarly source

Helpful Academic Resources

Use these resources to support your essay and format APA correctly:

APA Formatting Guide (Purdue OWL)
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide.html

Early Childhood Development Research (Harvard Center on the Developing Child)
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/

Child Development Overview (CDC)
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/

APA Citation Generator and Guide
https://www.scribbr.com/apa-citation-generator/

Impact of Play and Care on Toddler Development: Article Review of “Toddlers as the One-Caring