TĖVŲ MOKYMO PROGRAMOS EFEKTYVUMAS UGDANT VAIKŲ ŽAIDIMO GEBĖJIMUS

Abstract

Background. Young children learn about their world through play but some lack developmentally appropriate play skills and their learning may be compromised. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of parents teaching play skills to their children. Methods and Results. Parents of preschoolers were taught ways to enhance their children’s pretend play and then engage in parent-child play daily for six weeks. Children in the parent training group (n=5) showed more growth in their play than the children in a comparison group (n=4). Every child in the parent training group showed an increase in pretend play, whereas in the comparison group, one child increased, two remained about the same, and one decreased. Conclusions. Implications for the delivery of early childhood services are discussed regarding the effective use of parents as implementers of play interventions. keywords: early childhood, play, parent training. THE EFFECT oF A PArENT TrAININg ProgrAM oN CHIldrEN’S PlAY In early childhood, early identification and subsequent intervention allows for the building of essential skills that can prevent further problems. Recognizing the important role that parents, defined as the primary caregivers of the child, fulfill in the lives of their children, as well as the shift in educational law, early childhood intervention strategies should be family-centered (Individuals with Disabilities Education 1 Address for correspondence: Psychology Department, ASH 347R, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182-0274; phone: 402-554-3563; e-mail: lkelly-vance@ unomaha.edu. Jessica Dempsey, Lisa Kelly-Vance, Brigette Ryalls 118 Improvement Act, 2004; Wehman, 1998). As the emphasis of prevention and early intervention grows, it is important to consider how to best enhance children’s development of skills in a way that supports the active involvement of the family. Engagement in play is a central activity of early childhood and current empirical evidence supports the use of play-based assessment and intervention to identify and improve skills (Fewell & Rich, 1987; Kelly-Vance, Needelman, Troia, & Ryalls, 1999; Kelly-Vance & Ryalls, 2005; Kelly-Vance, Ryalls, & Glover, 2002; Linder, 1993; Stagnitti & Unsworth, 2004). Play interventions are family-centered, but research is limited in the involvement of parents in enhancing play (Kelly-Vance & Ryalls, 2008). This study investigated the effect of training parents on specific play teaching strategies and their children’s subsequent play.