Exploration the aspects of young children’s play in free play of play-based curriculum

This paper is a part of the research devoted to observing free play with different role-playing materials in preschool children.Here we describe the results of our observations of preschoolers’ play with toy characters (dolls, figures, soft toys, etc.).It was found that there are significant gender differences in this type of play: boys either do not play at all or play in the director’s position; at the same time, if they take on a role, they tend to ignore toy characters.As it is shown, the number of role-playing names is quite high in the children’s play with toy characters.This may reflect the specific function of this type of material in play.Among the prevailing play topics are family, home, pets, everyday life and motives of care and attention in general.Age analysis showed that the number of children with roles increases at 6 years, while at 5 years — when play is at its peak – role substitution in playing with toy characters is rather ignored by children.

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Do Children Need Adult Support During Sociodramatic Play to Develop Executive Functions? Experimental Evidence

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.779023 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Nikolai Veresov ◽

Aleksander Veraksa ◽

Margarita Gavrilova ◽

Vera Sukhikh

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Free Play ◽

Control Group ◽

Learning And Development ◽

Sociodramatic Play ◽

Children's Play ◽

Historical Approach ◽

Study Results ◽

Children’S Play

The cultural-historical approach provides the deep theoretical grounds for the analysis of children’s play. Vygotsky suggested three critical features of play: switching to an imaginary situation, taking on a play role, and acting according to a set of rules defined by the role. Collaboration, finding ideas and materials for creating an imaginary situation, defining play roles, and planning the plot are complex tasks for children. However, the question is, do children need educator’s support during the play to develop their executive functions, and to what extent? This experimental study was aimed at answering this inquiry. The four modes of sociodramatic play were created which differed in the adult intervention, from non-involvement in the play to its entire organization. The play could be child-led (with adult help), adult-led, or free (without any adult intervention); and there was also a control group where the children heard the same stimulus stories as the other groups but then followed them up with a drawing activity instead of a play activity. The study revealed that, firstly, the ways of educator’s involvement in the play differed in their potential in respect to the development of executive functions, and, secondly, this influence was not equal for different components of executive functions. Free play in the experiment was not a beneficial condition for the development of any of the studied components of executive functions, compared to the conditions involving the participation of an adult in the play. Furthermore, the type of adult intervention stimulated the development of various executive functions. The entire organization of the play by the adult had a positive impact of their general development. In contrast, the adult’s assistance in the organization of the children’s play had a positive effect on the development of inhibitory control. The study results can be helpful when considering educational practices within a cultural-historical approach to engaging the potential of play in children’s learning and development around the world.

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A Research Study Concerning Young Children’s Play in Unstructured Free Play Environments in Kindergarten Classroom

Practice Association for Early Childhood Education ◽

10.35641/kpaece.24.1.5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 73-97

Author(s):

Hee-kyung Lee

Keyword(s):

Research Study ◽

Free Play ◽

Children's Play ◽

Children’S Play ◽

Kindergarten Classroom

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Parental Play Beliefs in the Developing Areas of China: A Multiple Case Study

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11100625 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 625

Author(s):

Yiqi Zhang ◽

Suzannie K. Y. Leung ◽

Hui Li

Keyword(s):

Parent Education ◽

Mainland China ◽

Free Play ◽

Children's Play ◽

Coastal Cities ◽

Children’S Play ◽

Multiple Case ◽

Parent Education Programs ◽

At Home

Existing studies have explored parental play beliefs in the developed coastal cities in mainland China, leaving parents in developing areas unstudied. This study aimed to understand how these understudied parents view and engage in their children’s play at home, using Bronfenbrenner’s process–person–context–time (PPCT) model. Eight families were interviewed and observed to explore parental beliefs and practices regarding young children’s play at home. Thematic analysis showed that most parents appreciated the importance of play in children’s early development but did not know how to scaffold their children’s play activities. In addition, the high SES families supported child-led play (i.e., free play), whereas the lower SES families adopted traditional rule-based and adult-driven modes. Therefore, more parent education programs and support should be provided to lower SES families in these developing areas.

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An Overview of Developed Forms of Pretend Play Situation in Ecec Institutions in Lithuania

Pedagogika ◽

10.15823/p.2014.037 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 115 (3) ◽

pp. 190-205

Author(s):

Agnė Brandišauskienė ◽

Danguolė Maslienė

Keyword(s):

Detailed Analysis ◽

Personal Experience ◽

Pretend Play ◽

Free Play ◽

Older Children ◽

Children's Play ◽

Children’S Play ◽

Mixed Groups ◽

Fantasy Themes

This article aims to give an overview of the situation of children’s play in ECEC classrooms. According to the teacher’s opinions and observations, it could be said that ECEC institutions allow free play of children: the kids like to play in small-sized and often gender-mixed groups. It is observed that while playing alone girls and boys prefer different games, and each play theme is usually developed from a few days to a week. Deeper analysis reveals that the topics of children’s games are steaming from their personal experience. The older children more freely construct imaginary situations and are less dependent on objects and environment. In teacher’s opinions, fantasy themes (that are the indicators of higher level of play) of play are not frequent but elder children play more fantasy themes than the younger ones. Understanding the significance of play for the development of children we speculate that the educator’s role in supporting or suppressing possibilities for play in the classroom is of greatest importance. Therefore, a more detailed analysis of the teacher’s understanding of the concept and the phenomenon of play would be very meaningful.

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The Role of Physical Activity and Touch in Children’s Social Bonding

International Journal of Comparative Psychology ◽

10.46867/ijcp.2018.31.02.02 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

Author(s):

Megan Jefferies ◽

Bahar Tunçgenç ◽

Emma Cohen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Helping Behavior ◽

Social Bonding ◽

Free Play ◽

Future Research ◽

Emotional States ◽

Observation Study ◽

Children's Play ◽

Touch Condition ◽

Children’S Play

Physical activity (PA) and touch, long known to facilitate interpersonal affiliation in adults and non-human primates, are common elements of children’s free play. However, no research has examined how children’s play involving PA and touch is linked with social bonding (i.e., positive emotional states and behaviors that help create, maintain and characterize affiliation and attachment among individuals). This paper reports on two novel studies designed to explore these links in children’s play. In two studies, we investigated associations between PA, touch and prosociality in 5-to-8-year-old children. In a naturalistic observation study (N = 50), we assessed the amount of PA, smiling/laughing, touch, and prosociality in children’s play behavior during school breaks. PA levels were also measured indirectly via heart rate monitors (HRM). The findings revealed that observed-PA was associated with the amount of smiling/laughing. PA (observed and HRM) was also associated with the amount of touch. In a second study (N = 84), we experimentally tested the effect of touch on helping behavior in the context of physically-active play. In pairs, children ran to collect felt shapes which they placed either onto each other (touch condition) or onto a board (no-touch condition). Subsequent helping behavior was assessed in a separate task. There was a non-significant trend towards more helping in the touch condition. We discuss the findings in terms of the significance of PA and touch for social bonding in childhood and offer suggestions for future research in this underexplored area.

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Children’s Play and Social Relations in Nature and Kindergarten Playgrounds: Examples from Norway

International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development - Outdoor Learning and Play ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-72595-2_5 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 79-93

Author(s):

Hanne Værum Sørensen

Keyword(s):

Social Relations ◽

Kindergarten Teachers ◽

Free Play ◽

Children's Play ◽

Cultural Formation ◽

Video Observations ◽

Children’S Play ◽

Primary Focus ◽

And Gender ◽

Outdoor Playtime

AbstractIn kindergarten, outdoor playtime is usually a break from more structured activities. It is leisure time and an opportunity for children to engage in free play with friends. Previous research indicates that time spent outdoors facilitates playful physical activity and that playing in nature inspires children’s creativity, imaginations and play across age and gender. In short, play and social relations are crucial for young children’s development and cultural formation. This study investigated children’s play activities during outdoor playtime in nature and on kindergarten playgrounds. Its empirical materials consisted of video observations of 12 four-year-old’s activities in nature and on a kindergarten playground and interviews with two kindergarten teachers. One child, Benjamin was the primary focus, and five more were also included. Two examples of one child’s social play in nature and on the playground were analysed to illuminate the different conditions and challenges he encountered. The findings indicate that children’s play in nature tends to be more creative and inclusive than that on kindergarten playgrounds, that kindergarten teachers participate more in children’s play in nature than on playgrounds and that children are sensitive to and try to engage in what they view as a correct form of discourse with their teachers. The author argues for further research on the subject to learn more about children’s social relations, creativity and cultural formation during outdoor playtime in nature.

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