Preschool children’s behaviours in competitive games: are these games really harmful to social-emotional development?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the behaviors of young children in competitive games. A qualitative research design was used. Participants consisted of 14 children attending a kindergarten. In the process, children were involved in different types of competitive games. Sociometry was applied before the game procedure. The data obtained were analyzed both for the whole group and for the most and least preferred children separately. Results showed that competitive game context was challenging but also developing. Children revealed their emotions in appropriate ways during the moments of winning while during the moments of losing some children showed aggression. For children with low and high social acceptance, it was observed that children with low acceptance have more intense behaviors than children with high acceptance and they were showed aggression from time to time. Also, the whole group developed strategies at different levels to cope with losing and not losing again.