Learning through Play in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Playing is the leading activity in kindergarten education, a unique form of activity that conforms to the age characteristics of preschool children, and an important way to promote the overall and healthy development of children's bodies and minds. This research’s purpose was to carry out a literature systematic review on the learning through play in early childhood. This review was estimated on the steps pointed in the PRISMA criteria, as well as new research that merged different research designs. The publications for this study were adopted using two prestige databases: Scopus and Web of Science. This review’s four major themes were derived from a thematic analysis, which includes (1) research area, (2) language, and (3) timeline. Thus, the result of this study made several significant additions to the corpus of knowledge for practical reasons. The following findings display the significance of learning through the play method in early childhood: 1) Learning outcomes, 2) Pedagogical, 3) Professional development and 4) Parents’ beliefs. The learning outcomes of learning through the play method seem to be a key research topic, while parents’ belief is the lacking research topic among scholars. Finally, this paper is concluded with suggestions for future research directions and a call for more diverse research paradigms.