Children's Play Research Articles

Детская игра в оптике современных психологических представлений. Размышления по прочтении учебника об игре

<p>The article is devoted to consideration and analysis of the new textbook "Early and Preschool Child Play", published in 2024. The authors strove to carry out such an analysis not simply in the framework of a review, but to consider the content of the textbook through the prism of contemporary views of psychologists on children' play in early and preschool age, taking account of classical and non-classical (in the terminology of V.T. Kudryavtsev) theories, primarily from the position of cultural-historical psychology. Thus, the main goal of the theoretical study was to analyze the content of the textbook "Early and Preschool Child Play", identifying the positions of the authors on the key issues of the phenomenon under consideration in the context of current scientific ideas about play in early and preschool ages. The analysis conducted showed the presence of substantial differences between the authors in understanding and interpreting some aspects of children's play, which once more indicates the phenomenon complexity under study and its insufficient development of not only the external manifestations of children's play activity, but also the internal processes that generate this activity, both in theoretical and empirical aspects. At the same time, according to the authors of the article, the publication of the textbook "Early and Preschool Child Play" is undoubtedly a significant and essential step in psychological and pedagogical science to embrace both the well-studied aspects of children's play and still unresolved problems of this phenomenon.</p>

유아교육기관의 자유놀이에서 놀이선호의 본질과 의미 탐색

The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of children's favorite play activities during free play time to gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives. The study participants consisted of 81 five-year-old children enrolled in A daycare center and B kindergarten in Chungcheongnam-do Province. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with the children. The collected data were analyzed using the constant comparative method, with the analysis process continuously reviewed through feedback from one early childhood education expert and two fellow researchers. To enhance the reliability of the study, triangulation was employed. The findings revealed two key aspects of children's favorite play. First, children identified their preferred play as “my favorite play,” which encompassed “play that I can engage in as I wish,” allowing them to exercise autonomy and initiative, as well as “play that includes what I like,” enabling them to freely express their personal interests and hobbies. Second, children emphasized “elements that make play more enjoyable.” They perceived that “having sufficient toys and play spaces” and “flexible classroom rules” enhanced the enjoyment of free play by providing diverse and engaging experiences. This study holds significance as it offers foundational insights into the philosophical basis and pedagogical direction necessary for structuring free play time in early childhood education. By ensuring that free play time aligns with the fundamental value of play—fun—this study contributes to the discourse on optimizing play experiences for young children.

은유분석을 통해 본 예비유아교사의 바깥놀이에 대한 인식

This study aims to explore pre-service early childhood teachers' perceptions of outdoor play through metaphor analysis. To achieve this, responses were collected from 134 pre-service early childhood teachers enrolled in early childhood education programs at community colleges located in P City and G City. Participants were asked to express metaphors related to outdoor play and provide reasons for their expressions. The collected responses were categorized, and the frequency and percentage of each category were calculated. The results revealed that the metaphors for outdoor play expressed by pre-service early childhood teachers were classified into a total of 94 expressions and 8 categories, which were further grouped into three overarching themes: “Outdoor play as a source of growth,” “Outdoor play as a source of emotions,” and “Outdoor play as a playground for exploration.” The analysis of metaphorical expressions yielded the following findings. First, pre-service early childhood teachers perceived outdoor play as a driving force for growth and learning, recognizing it as an essential process in early childhood. Second, they viewed outdoor play as a source of positive emotions such as happiness, joy, and freedom for young children. Third, they recognized outdoor play as a space where young children could express curiosity and creativity, engage in endless exploration in nature, and establish a valuable environment for interaction and communication. It was confirmed that pre-service early childhood teachers perceive outdoor play as not only a crucial factor in children's proper growth but also as a fundamental source of emotions and a space where children can develop their potential. Additionally, analyzing their metaphorical expressions and the reasoning behind them revealed a shift in the role of teachers— from merely being safety managers and observers in the past to actively supporting children's diverse experiences, emotions, and play. Ultimately, this study highlights the perceptions of pre-service early childhood teachers regarding outdoor play and underscores its significance and value. The findings can serve as foundational data for incorporating outdoor play into teacher training programs, contributing to the effective preparation of future early childhood educators.

Research on Children's Play Space from the Perspective of Gender Inclusion

Taking Changqingwan Park in Shenyang City as an example, this study focused on the design and evaluation of children's play space from the perspective of gender inclusion, and conducted PSPL research on possible gender blindness problems in the current space. Taking female parents as the subject of the study, the author collected female parents' evaluation of the current situation of children's play space by using Likert scale, and systematically sorted out the spatial factors affecting their willingness to go and the focus of attention. Through field observation and data analysis, the behavioral characteristics and spatial preferences of women in the process of nursing were discussed. On this basis, combined with the core design principles such as space fun and safety, the optimization strategy of children's play space is proposed to enhance the gender inclusiveness of children's play space, improve children's play experience and caregiver satisfaction.

Psychoanalytic aspects of the Watch Me Play! approach: the psychic energy of attention

ABSTRACT This article discusses the origins of Watch Me Play! (WMP) in psychoanalytic infant observation. The WMP approach aims to help caregivers to enjoy being with their baby or child and promote their child's development. Parents are supported by a practitioner to allow their child to play freely, give their full attention to watching the child playing, and talking with the child about their play or, with a baby, echoing their sounds. Then the parent and practitioner reflect together on their observations of the child's play and the experience of watching the child play. Developed in 2011 and manualised in 2019, WMP is now used in services for children and families in the UK and internationally. Parents have reported that giving their child their full attention allows them to get to know their child better, notice more about their child and feel more confident about their parenting and about their child's capacities. A case study is linked to ideas about attention in Freud and Bick, the importance of surprise in Bick's thinking about psychoanalytic infant observation, and the life instinct as described by Freud and Klein.

Play in Children with Autism – Parents and Professionals’ Perception

Play is a central activity of childhood that provides children with enjoyment and stimulates the development of creativity. It helps them better understand the world around them, express their emotions, refine motor skills, and develop essential life skills. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a difference in how parents and professionals perceive the play of children with autism. The sample included parents of children with autism (N = 60) and professionals (N = 60) employed in kindergartens and schools attended by these children. The children's ages ranged from four years and eight months to nine years (AS = 7.70; SD = 1.03). To assess play performance, the My Child’s Play – Parent Questionnaire (MCP; Schneider & Rosenblum, 2014) was used. The results showed statistically significant differences in play perception between parents and professionals in the subscales of Interpersonal Relationships and Social Participation (p < 0.05), Executive Functions (p < 0.05), and Play Choices and Preferences (p < 0.05). Parents perceived their child’s engagement in play more positively, including their ability to join play, adapt to new play partners, maintain focus, stay organized, persist, and overcome frustrating situations that may arise during play.

Children's Risky Play and Resilience: Perspectives of Emergency Care Practitioners.

Parents' perspectives on children's risky play can provide researchers with insight into their injury prevention and safety needs and support researchers in understanding how challenging and exciting play may positively shape children's physical, cognitive, and social development. To date, however, the perspectives of parents who witness severe injuries as part of occupational experiences, and who have medical training, are lacking within this scholarship. In this study, we worked with emergency room practitioners to understand their perspectives on children's risky play and resilience. A risk and sociocultural theoretical lens informed our approach and we conducted semi-structured interviews with doctors and nurses (n = 56) across Canada who had children between the ages of 4 and 13. Findings from a thematic analysis were threefold: (1) learning to persevere through failure, (2) developing distress tolerance, and (3) supporting child autonomy and independence. Findings indicate doctors and nurses can perceive children as more emotionally and physically equipped to cope with stressful and potentially injurious situations across their lifespan if they are exposed to challenging and exciting play during childhood. Further, while the practitioners believed it was important to intervene in play which could result in children experiencing severe injuries, they believed adults should support children in testing their physical and cognitive boundaries during risky play without adult interference.

The relation between clutter and visual fatigue in children with cerebral visual impairment.

Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is a brain-based condition which can be exacerbated by clutter. This study aimed to explore the relation between clutter and visual fatigue in children with CVI and evaluate the effectiveness of clutter algorithm metrics in assessing visual clutter in photographs of children's play areas and the relation to visual fatigue. Visual clutter was measured using algorithmic metrics, subjective observations by a clinical researcher (who also observed visual fatigue) and a Qualtrics survey. Seventy-two children (mean performance age = 7 years 4 months) were included. Visual fatigue was present in over 90% of children. Results revealed a relation between clutter and visual fatigue observations (rs = 0.29; p = 0.01) and between visual clutter observations from researchers and Qualtrics participants (rs = 0.32; p = 0.02). Certain metrics were correlated with visual clutter observations (rs ranging from -0.30 to 0.51, p-values ranging from <0.001 to 0.03), but not with visual fatigue. Children with CVI presented with visual fatigue, particularly in cluttered environments. Therefore, parents, caregivers, teachers and clinicians should be attentive to visual fatigue signs, as early recognition and intervention can help address the child's needs more effectively. Algorithms that effectively quantify visual clutter are valuable tools that can be integrated to enhance the assessment of clutter and its relation with visual fatigue to advance CVI research methodology. However, a clinician is required to assess visual fatigue and to obtain detailed information on environmental clutter, which algorithms alone may not fully capture. Finally, we recognise that visual fatigue and the impact of clutter should be integrated into psychoeducation and the comprehensive assessment of individuals with CVI.

Children’s play in grey spaces: ludic geographies and the chromatic turn

ABSTRACT Children have long played in ‘grey spaces’, on doorsteps, roads, car parks, back lanes, but this ludic geography is not uncontested. Debates around the proper place for children’s outdoor play, in the UK and beyond, have recurred regularly, with the apparent superiority of green spaces being repeatedly promoted, from the emergence of the first ‘play streets’ in the mid-twentieth century to the centring of proximity to nature today. Based on research on play on streets in the UK, this paper argues for play in grey spaces. Children often express a preference for these spaces; the physical and social affordances of such grey spaces are many and varied and point to a more nuanced chromatic geography of play. Children's play reflects their valuing of these spaces and children animate – colour – grey spaces as they play in them. The presence of children in and around their neighbourhoods, in ambiguous, undervalued, interstitial spaces, can act as a catalyst for revaluing these spaces, opening possibilities for change and challenge. In all these ways, engaging in and reflecting on play in grey spaces can open up conversations, on the doorstep and beyond, which can – and do – connect to questions of social, spatial and environmental justice.

Giant tree versus iPad kids: Reflecting on childhood outdoor play, then and now

Abstract Childhood play experiences, particularly outdoor play, positively affect children’s holistic development and well-being. This qualitative study examined teacher education students’ perceptions through retrospective reflection on their own childhood play experiences in the past (then) compared to contemporary children’s play at present (now) to recognize the value of childhood play. Ten student teachers enrolled in various teacher education programs at one university participated in this study. Analyzing a drawing task and interviews revealed that participants recalled outdoor play as their favorite childhood play experiences, engaging in unstructured and child-initiated activities, taking risks, and creating their own rules. These outdoor experiences not only fostered social interactions but also nurtured a special emotional bond with the natural environment where they grew up and played. Furthermore, participants reported that children’s play has changed in recent times, with a decline in outdoor play due to increased parental safety concerns and the prevalence of technological devices. The teaching implications regarding prioritizing outdoor play, as well as the intersection of outdoor play and digital technology, are discussed.

Understanding emotion in early age: a systematic review of the role of emotional awareness in early childhood education

ABSTRACT The emotional development of children is importance to their overall growth and maturation, particularly during the formative years. Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the capacity to recognize one’s own emotions and those of others, to motivate oneself, and to regulate emotions in oneself and in relationships with others. The aim of this study is to examine the role of emotional awareness in early childhood and its influence on early childhood development and learning. This research employs a systematic literature review with four principal stages. The review used 14 eligible articles related to emotional awareness in early childhood. The findings show that emotional awareness plays an important role in several areas of early childhood development, including social-emotional development, cognitive development, language development, physical development, and creativity development. Each development has a positive relationship to support each other. Emotional awareness also influences play and learning activities in early childhood. Emotional awareness has been shown to positively support children’s play, academic success in school, and reduction of problem behaviors. Other findings show that emotional awareness can be influenced by children’s health history. A child with a history of epileptic seizures has difficulty with emotional awareness and even long-term development.

PENGARUH PENGGUNAAN HANDPHONE TERHADAP AKTIVITAS BERMAIN ANAK DI LUAR RUMAH DI JORONG SILAYANG PASAMAN BARAT

This study aims to examine the influence of cellphone use on children's play activities outside the home in Jorong Silayang, West Pasaman. The research method used is quantitative with descriptive and inferential analysis techniques. The research population was children aged 6-12 years in Jorong Silayang, West Pasaman, with a sample of 50 people taken using a purposive sampling technique. The research instrument used was a questionnaire. The results of this study show that almost all respondents have cellphones and more than half of them use cellphones to play games or watch videos. Most children only play outside a few times a week. Statistical analysis shows that there is a significant negative influence between cellphone use and children's playing activities outside the home in Jorong Silayang, West Pasaman. This finding is in line with previous research showing a relationship between cellphone use and children's low physical activity. This research can strengthen public and related parties' awareness of the impact of excessive cellphone use on children's health and lives, as well as encourage active and healthy lifestyles for children through playing activities outside the home.

The Influence Aesthetic Processes Can Have on Daycare Children's Play

AbstractThis article argues for a reconceptualisation of early childhood education, where learning and development are not only valued by outcome, and aims to investigate how aesthetic processes are organised in ways for the children to be inspired, to compare, explore, and play. Inspired by a Vygotsky perspective and his theories of play, imagination, and creativity, the article argues for developmental perspectives where transformation is driven by different kinds of experiences that lead to sustained change and not a one‐sided passing of instructions from teacher to child. Drawing on ethnographic material from a qualitative research project implemented in Danish daycares, where an artist visited over a 3‐month period, shows specific patterns in how the children are engaging in aesthetic processes and multiple ways that joint activities inspire the children to play. The research reveals new insights into the relationship between aesthetic processes and play, as it facilitates the exploration of not only the many layers of aesthetics but also how participation in joint activities enables the aesthetic process to become a cultural frame of reference that is used in Play.

Navigating Children's Risky Play: A Comparative Analysis of Saudi Mothers and Fathers.

Despite documented benefits for development, children are engaging in considerably fewer risky play activities. Research on parent gender and children's risky play is inconsistent. Gender and cultural context shape how individuals perceive and tolerate children's risky play. Little research exists on gender disparities in approaches to risky play in Eastern cultures, including Saudi Arabia. The study's objective was to examine gender variations in Saudi parents' willingness and tolerance for children's risky play. It included 85 parents: 41 fathers and 44 mothers. Differential Item Functioning analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between mothers and fathers on three Factors Affecting Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale items. While interaction effects and predictors were not significant (p = .22-.97), the overall multiple regression model significantly predicted parents' risk tolerance (p = .04). Within the context of other factors, gender appeared to play a complex and indirect role in determining parents' risk tolerance.

2019 개정 누리과정과 일본 유치원 교육과정 지원자료에 나타난 교육과정 실행 비교 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study was to deepen the understanding of the implementation of curriculum and to obtain implications for the implementation of the next Nuri curriculum by comparing the organization, teaching &amp; learning, and evaluation in the supporting materials for the 2019 revised Nuri curriculum and Japanese kindergarten curriculum. Methods The main analysis data are Korea's ‘2019 Revised Nuri Curriculum Play Implementation Materials’, Japan's ‘Preparation of Guidance Plans and Development of Childcare Connecting Young Children's Thoughts’, ‘Records Used for Guidance and Evaluation’, and ‘Evaluation Based on Young Children Understanding’, The research method compared the similarities and differences in the organization, teaching &amp; learning, and evaluation in both countries by content analysis. Results First, the 2019 revised Nuri curriculum has a lot of autonomy and flexibility in educational planning and the routine composition, whereas in Japan, specificity of the educational plan is strong, but it is flexible in implementation. Second, both curricula pursue spatial arrangement and re-arrangement that induces children's voluntary play. Play materials can be any environment surrounding children in both curricula. Verbal, behavioral, and emotional interactions between teachers are common in interactions, but in Japan, there is a strong tendency for emotional interactions. Safety pursues research on safe play spaces by improving the safety capabilities of young children and teachers, but in Japan, mental stability is important by building a trust relationship between teachers and young children. Third, in the evaluation of the two curricula, young children evaluation and curriculum evaluation are similar, but the revised Nuri curriculum was presented relatively comprehensively for the information on related content. Conclusions The results of this study can deepen the understanding of the implementation of the 2019 revised Nuri curriculum and can be used as basic data when developing supporting materials for the next Nuri curriculum implementation.

HOW DO THE DIVERSE DRIVERS OF CHILDREN’S (6-12) DIGITAL PLAY MEDIATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL GAMES AND CHILDREN’S SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING?

Though discursive shifts signal increasing enthusiasm for children's digital play when instrumental educational outcomes are evident, limited attention has been paid to its possible wellbeing benefits or the reasons that children engage with it. The time that children invest in digital game play presents an opportunity for the global digital games industry to contribute positively to children’s well-being. Empirical research must first examine the diverse relationships between children’s digital play and their wellbeing. This paper reports on an international, ecoculturally and ethnographically informed and semi-longitudinal study in collaboration with a children's digital game industry partner and a global child's rights organisation to consider: what drives the digital play choices and practices of a diverse cohort of children?; and how do these findings contribute to understanding the relationship between children’s digital play and their wellbeing? This paper draws on a subset of UK data (20 families) amongst a total 50 case study families who were involved across four countries. The study provides diverse examples of digital play supporting dimensions of children’s subjective wellbeing. However, children’s digital play choices and practices were influenced by diverse and often intersecting factors, most compellingly, by different deep interests, desires and needs, understood in the present study as ‘digital play drivers’. The findings offer an empirically grounded expansion of past ‘needs’ approaches and foreground the mediating role played by digital play drivers in the relationship between digital games and children’s subjective wellbeing. Implications for the children's digital game industry are discussed.

Active Play as a Window Into the Worlds of Twins and Triplets With Autism.

Background: Research indicates that play can facilitate communication and emotional connection for children with autism and their parents. Currently, there is no research exploring the perceptions that parents of twins and triplets with autism have regarding their children's play, despite these parents' unique opportunity to observe and interpret the play behaviours of multiple same-age, same-diagnosis children raised in the same home environment. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to describe the value that parents of twins and triplets with autism place on active play. Method: The researchers used purposive sampling to recruit abroad sample of mothers (N = 9) of twins and triplets with autism aged 4-11 years old. Participants took part in one semistructured online interview with the researcher which was then thematically analyzed. Results: One central theme emerged from our analysis. This theme is entitled active play as a "window into a child's world" and contains five subthemes: (1) parent perceiving child's strengths and weaknesses in active play, (2) parent facilitating active play experiences, (3) parent perceiving child's intrinsic motivations for active play, (4) parent interpreting child's active play behaviours, and (5) active play experiences as a medium for parent/child communication. Conclusions: These findings suggest that parents value active play because it affords them opportunity to observe their children's characteristics through their active play behaviours (e.g., strengths and weaknesses) and use what they have learned to facilitate new active play experiences that encourage overall development. Through active play, parents also practice communicating verbally and nonverbally with their child.

Paternal involvement and peer competence in young children: the mediating role of playfulness.

The capacity to interact with peers during early childhood can profoundly and enduringly influence later development and adaptation. Previous research has indicated that paternal involvement plays a vital role in shaping children's peer competence. However, limited research has been conducted on this association within the Chinese cultural contexts or on the potential mechanisms that underlie it. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate whether there is a close link between paternal involvement and peer competence in Chinese young children, as well as whether children's playfulness mediates this relationship. The Chinese version of the Paternal Involvement Questionnaire (FIQ) was distributed to 359 fathers with children (4-6 years old). Children's Playfulness Scale (CPS) and Ability to Associate With Partners Scale (AAPS) were distributed to the children's mothers. (1) There are positive correlations between paternal involvement, young children's playfulness and peer competence after controlling for the demographic variables of age and gender. (2) Paternal involvement is positively related to young children's peer competence. (3) Playfulness partially mediated the relationship between paternal involvement and children's peer competence. Findings from this study emphasize the significance of paternal involvement in enhancing young children's peer competence, while also highlighting the value of positive emotional traits such as playfulness for fostering family interaction and promoting young child development.

The Black Car (Children Playing).

The Black Car (Children Playing).

Parental Perceptions of Environmental Factors on Preschoolers' Outdoor Play in 19 Low-Income, Middle-Income, and High-Income Countries.

Environmental factors influence children's development. However, their impact on outdoor play among children from international settings remains understudied. This study examined associations between parent perceptions of environmental factors and outdoor play among an international sample of preschool-aged children. Data were sourced from the pilot phases of the SUNRISE International Study of Movement Behaviors in the Early Years. Parents completed a questionnaire about their child's outdoor play and environmental factors that influenced their child's participation in outdoor play in the past 3 days. 1855 children from 19 countries (16 low- and middle-income countries) were examined. Heat (-25.6; 95% CI, -44.6 to -6.6), cold (-26.9; 95% CI, -45.9 to -8.4), and rain (-24.8; 95% CI, -43.3 to -6.6) were negatively associated with weekday outdoor play. Cold (-41.2; 95% CI, -62.4 to -20.0) and social instability (-40.7; 95% CI, -61.5 to -20.3) were negatively associated with weekend outdoor play. Playing at friend's or relative's homes (29.5 [95% CI, 18.6 to 40.5]; 37.9 [25.6 to 50.4]), greenspaces (23.1 [95% CI, 9.6 to 36.6]; 30.4 [95% CI, 15.1 to 45.8]), and on the street (41.4 [95% CI, 26.9 to 55.7]; 34.9 [95% CI, 18.2 to 51.3]) were associated with weekday and weekend day outdoor play, respectively. Playing on the family's property was also associated with weekend day outdoor play (25.5 [95% CI, 18.2 to 51.3]). The environmental context is important to consider when developing interventions to promote outdoor play in young children across diverse international settings. Future research from representative populations is needed to confirm these findings.