Creating a playful environment; evaluating young children’s perceptions of their daily classroom activities using the Activity Apperception Story Procedure

Abstract

This article describes a classroom observation study funded by the General Teaching Council of Wales (GTCW). The observation was conducted in a reception class by the class teacher as part of the continuing professional development scheme. The article demonstrates the importance of the relationship between research, theory and practice by applying findings from academic research to the classroom context. It attempts to identify how a play-based curriculum can be successfully applied in early years settings. In particular it suggests that by listening to the views of children, a playful approach to learning can be injected into a variety of classroom situations. It highlights that the unique quality of play is playfulness, and that classrooms can promote a playful approach to a range of activities. The Activity Apperception Story Procedure (Howard 2002) was used to determine which classroom activities children felt were playful. Findings revealed that the class teacher had successfully created a playful environment where children made few distinctions between play and work activities. This is consistent with previous research that suggests children form perceptions of play and work based on environmental cues such as where or with whom, an activity takes place (Wing 1995; Howard 2002).