Getting someone else to play with you: entering into play in everyday family interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines the ways in which children engage other family members in participation in play activities. The focus of this article is on when children seek to engage the participation of others in their play. The data for this study are video-recordings of American and Canadian families with at least one child between the ages of three and six. This paper finds that children recruit others to play in two types of interactional environments: after a previous play activity has recognizably ended, or during or after interactional troubles. Findings contribute to studies of play and social interaction, adding to our understanding of context in which children solicit play collaboration from their family members.