Social play amongst preschool-aged children from an inner and an outer metropolitan suburb

Fiona Jane Andrews,Karen Stagnitti,Narelle Robertson

doi:10.36251/josi.144

Abstract

Play is essential for healthy child development. While, the relationship between neighbourhood and young children’s physical activity is well reported in the literature, less is known about preschool children’s social play in different suburban settings. This study took a mixed methods approach. Seventy-two parents from an inner-suburb and 26 parents from an outer-suburb in a metropolitan city in Australia returned a survey on: who their preschool age children played with and where their children played. Twenty parents also consented to a follow up open-ended interview. Children from the inner-suburb played more with non-related children (p < 0.05) and in a wider range of formal and informal settings than children from the outer-suburbs. Neighbourhood, family and planning policy contributed to the differences in child socialisation and these were mapped using Bronfenbrenner’s Social Ecology model. Findings have implications for both service providers and policy makers in suburban settings.

Highlights

All children have a right to play (United Nations, 1990)
In previous studies we have identified that parents in different suburban settings in Melbourne, Australia, had different preferences and experiences around raising their preschool-aged children (Andrews et al 2014; Andrews et al 2018)
There were 72 parents who responded from the inner suburbs and 26 who responded from the outer suburbs

Summary

Introduction

Through play children learn how to interact with others, and their cultural, physical and social environments (Rodger, 2010). As children develop, they engage in all forms of play with social, pretend play becoming a leading activity during the preschool (typically 5 years and under) stage of development (Whitebread & O’Sullivan, 2012). Children who have the opportunities to play and engage with others have been found to be more socially interactive (Lindsay & Cowell, 2003), have greater levels of self-regulation (Whitebread & O’Sullivan, 2012); creatively problem solve (Russ, et al, 1999) and have better physical, social and behavioural health outcomes (Brussoni et al, 2015). Children’s play has been reported to have moved indoors (Brussoni et al, 2012; Jarvis et al, 2014)

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Results

Conclusion