t itself. If the teacher
endeavours to provide the child with games that possess an educative
value, physical, intellectual, or moral, how can she give such games to
the children, and at the same time avoid setting the game as a task?
That such a result might follow is evident from our ordinary observation
of young children. To the boy interested in a game of ball, the request
to come and join his sister in playing housekeeping would, more than
likely, be positive drudgery. May it not follow therefore, that a trade
or guessing game given by the kindergarten director will fail to call
forth the free activity of the child? One of the arguments of the
advocates of the Montessori Method in favour of that system is, that the
specially prepared apparatus of that system is itself suggestive of play
exercises; and that, by having access to the apparatus, the child may
choose the particular exercise which appeals to his free activity at the
moment. This supposed superiority of the Montessori apparatus over the
kindergarten games is, however, more apparent than real. What the
skilful kindergarten teacher does is, through her knowledge of the
interests and tendencies of the children, to suggest games that will be
likely to appeal to their free activity, and at the same time have
educative value along physical, intellectual, and moral lines. In this
way, she does no more than children do among themselves, when one
suggests a suitable game to his companions. In such a case, no one would
argue, surely, that the leader is the only child to show free activity
in the play.

=Stages in Play.=--In the selecting of games, plays, etc., it is to be
noted that these may be divided into at least three classes, according
as they appeal to children at different ages. The very young child
prefers merely to play with somewhat simple objects that can make an
appeal to his senses, as the rattle, the doll, the pail and shovel,
hammer, crayon, etc. This preference depends, on the one hand, upon his
early individualistic nature, which would object to share the play with
another; and, on the other hand, upon the natural hunger of his senses
for varied stimulations. At about five years of age, owing to the growth
of the child's imagination, symbolism begins to enter largely into his
games. At this age the children love to play church, school, soldier,
scavenger man, hen and chickens, keeping store, etc. At from ten to
twelve years of age, co-operative an