How children's play has changed during wartime in Ukraine from the parent’s perspective

Abstract

The article analyzes the results of the study on the peculiarities of preschool children's play activities in the conditions of war in Ukraine, conducted in different regions of the country, which significantly differ in the characteristics of military operations, the life activities of the population, as well as the forms of organization of the educational process in preschool educational institutions. The objectives of the study were as follows: to identify changes in the content, types, and organizational forms of play activities of preschool children during the war, based on observations of parents; to determine the peculiarities of preschool children's play in both general and regional contexts. The analysis of the study results allows us to highlight the following peculiarities of preschool children's play during the war in Ukraine, namely: 1) dominance of various war-life scenarios (most often – air raids, setting up bomb shelters, and staying in shelters) and military actions (fighting against occupiers, protecting loved ones, helping victims, working at checkpoints, etc.) in the content of children's play activities from different regions of Ukraine; 2) among favourite toys (amongst stuffed toys and dolls for girls and LEGO® construction sets for boys), there is a prevalence of toy weapons, military equipment, military robots, military construction equipment, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for boys and stuffed cuddly toys (Hibuki dog, cuddly goose) for girls; 3) acquisition of certain characteristics in children's play, such as: greater degree of emotionality with manifestations of anxiety, worry, fear, cruelty, aggressiveness, which also manifests in the children's use of inappropriate language and their need to overcome complex emotional states through cuddly toys, thematic stuffed toys and anti-stress toys; - predominantly solitary nature of play when children entertain themselves alone, primarily due to the impossibility of a full-time kindergarten attendance and interaction with peers; play activities taking place indoors, which is typical for children residing both in urban and rural areas; 4) increase in time spent on playing games using gadgets (phones and tablets), including military-themed games