The relationship between the motor creativity and peer play behaviors of preschool children and the factors affecting this relationship

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between the motor creativity skills and peer play behaviors of preschool children and the factors affecting this relationship according to various demographic features. A total of 202 children attending kindergartens or preschools affiliated to the Directorate of National Education in the Afyonkarahisar province in the 2018–2019 school year participated in the study. For the purpose of collecting data, a General Information Form, the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (Parental Form) and the Creative Movement Thinking Test in Action and Movement were used. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale Parent Form and the Creative Thinking Test scores. The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference in the play disruption sub-dimension of the peer play behaviors of boys and girls in favor of boys and that there was no significant difference in the mean scores of motor creativity. There was a significant difference in favor of the children of parents who had one child in the play disconnection sub-dimension regarding peer play behaviors. It was also determined that there was a significant difference in the fluency and originality sub-dimensions regarding the motor creativity mean scores of children who had siblings. It was observed that there was a significant difference in the play interaction sub-dimension in the positive direction and for the play disconnection sub-dimension in the negative direction for children whose parents played with them for 3 h or more, while no significant relationship was evident in the motor creativity mean scores. A negative relationship was determined between the play interaction and imagination sub-dimensions, while a positive correlation was found between the play disruption or disconnection and imagination sub-dimensions.