Role Of Play In Children Research Articles

Unveiling the magic of mega-city block environments: investigating the intriguing mechanisms shaping children's spontaneous play preferences.

This study delves into the spatial preferences of children for play spaces within high-density urban block environments, specifically targeting the area of Baihua Second Road in Shenzhen, China. Recognizing the critical role of play in children's development, and the unique challenges posed by dense urban settings, this research employs multiclass logistic regression models and negative binomial regression models to construct a detailed mathematical analysis of neighborhood spatial elements and children's play space preferences. Data was meticulously gathered through both objective observations of 14 different types of spaces within the block, and subjective assessments via children's responses to a series of environment photos, capturing the essence of over 3,000 child participants' interactions and choices. Key findings reveal a pronounced preference among children for soft facility features and visually appealing spatial experiences, suggesting a nuanced understanding of play space needs beyond traditional playground designs. Notably, the study identifies that while cartoon-style designs in play facilities might increase moderate attractiveness, ordinary designs hold broader appeal, indicating a preference for diversity in play space aesthetics. These insights offer profound implications for urban planners and designers, advocating for a child-centered approach in the creation of urban play environments that prioritize aesthetic diversity, and the integration of natural elements. Moreover, the study situates Baihua Second Road as a paradigmatic case, illustrating the methodology and analytical framework applied in addressing the complex interplay between children's play preferences and urban spatial configurations. By incorporating a comprehensive data-driven analysis, this research contributes significantly to the discourse on child-friendly urban design, offering valuable strategies for cultivating inclusive and engaging urban play spaces for children amidst the constraints of high-density city living.

‘THEY ARE MY FRIENDS!’ FINDINGS FROM AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY ON YOUNG CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCES OF NURSERY PLAY AND LEARNING

Young children’s nursery play has been the focus of attention for years now focusing on the relationship between play and learning as well as the role of play in children’s overall development. In previous years most ‘play studies’ were concentrated on observing, recording, and analysing young children’s play from the adult’s perspective. However, recent studies aim to give young children voice and ownership on their play and learning experiences. In this respect, this paper is based on a small-scale ethnographic study and seeks to address the need for young children’s voices to be heard with regard to their nursery play experiences. A variety of audiovisual research methods (video camera, tape recorder, and still photographs) were employed for the collection and analysis of the data. The thematic analysis of the data suggests that young children’s play dialogues and comments on their nursery play can provide practitioners and other significant adults with rich and valuable insights into their views on play and learning within the early years’ settings. The themes that emerged included children’s experiences of play in terms of ownership, negotiation, learning, and preferences among others. In this respect, it is highlighted that young children’s voices added to the perspectives of their significant adults can help us form a complete picture of nursery play and learning with implications for the implementation of the early childhood curriculum.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0004/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

WAYS TO INCULCATE HUMAN QUALITIES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN THROUGH MUSIC AND PLAY ACTIVITIES

This article discusses the use of effective ways and means for the development of human qualities through music and play activities in preschool education, the role of play in children's lives.

A rapid review of the impact of quarantine and restricted environments on children's play and the role of play in children's health.

Amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, there is uncertainty regarding potential lasting impacts on children's health and educational outcomes. Play, a fundamental part of childhood, may be integral to children's health during crises. We undertook a rapid review of the impact of quarantine, isolation and other restrictive environments on play and whether play mitigates adverse effects of such restrictions. Fifteen peer‐reviewed studies were identified, spanning hospitals, juvenile and immigration detention and refugee camps. We found evidence of changes in children's access to play in crises and quarantine. These studies indicated how play might support children enduring isolation but lacked robust investigations of play as an intervention in mitigating impacts of restriction. Studies pertaining to children in isolation due to infectious disease outbreaks were notably absent. It is important that the potential effects of changes to such a crucial aspect of childhood are better understood to support children in this and future crises.

På sporet af en legende og multi-modal literacypraksis i vuggestuen

Artiklen beskriver og analyserer, hvorvidt metoden Leg en bog bidrager til småbørns tilegnelse af tidlige literacy kompetencer. Fokus er rettet på, hvordan krop og leg understøtter børnenes deltagelse og tilegnelse af tidlig literacy gennem Leg en bog som literacy-praksis, dvs. social kontekst for literacy. Leg en bog belyses i relation til implementeringen af den styrkede pædagogiske læreplan i Danmark, som netop sætter legen i centrum for en nyorientering af daginstitutionspædagogikken. Analysen tager udgangspunkt i et kvalitativt casestudie i en dansk vuggestue (daginstitution for 0–3-årige børn) i efteråret 2018. Ud fra registreringsanalyse og narrative fortolkninger af en videoobservation af Leg en bog diskuteres det, om og hvordan metoden kan bidrage til børns literacy-kompetencer og dannelse, og hvordan metoden kan fungere som ramme for pædagogens guidning af børn ind i legens univers. Artiklen tager afsæt i et bredt, socio-kulturelt og multi-modalt literacy-begreb og indkredser, hvilken betydning leg og kropslige tilgange har for småbørns tilegnelse af tidlig literacy. På baggrund af 3 kategorier for deltagelse i leg analyseres børnenes kropslige og verbale deltagelsesformer i den observerede literacy-praksis. Desuden belyser artiklen, hvordan pædagogens deltagelse og sensitive justeringer i situationen bliver garant for børnenes deltagelse i den fælles meningsskabende legesituation.

The role of play in children’s learning: the perspective of Ghanaian early years stakeholders

The purpose of this study was to examine Ghanaian stakeholders’ beliefs about the role and importance of play in early years (3 to 5 years) children’s learning, referred to as play-learning beliefs. A survey design was adopted in order to gather data necessary to examine the differences among stakeholders’ play-learning beliefs. A total of 292 participants completed the survey. Data were collected using a self-developed scale. A preliminary comparison of the mean differences among the stakeholders using ANOVA indicated that the head teachers and teachers perceived play as a form of learning more favourably than the parents. This difference was further explored using cluster analysis to test the hypothesis that stakeholders’ education status is a factor in explaining the group mean differences. Using a two-step cluster analysis in SPSS 24.0, participants were grouped into five distinct clusters, which were most distinguishable by participant status (parent, teacher or head teacher) and their education status – high-educated head teachers, teachers and parents, moderate-educated teachers and low-educated parents. Consistent differences emerged between cluster groups when compared on the scale score. Consistent with the hypothesis, the results suggest education status is associated with stakeholders’ beliefs about the role of play in children’s learning.

Active Learning in a Child Psychology Course: Observing Play Behavior at a Children’s Museum

The primary goal of this paper is to describe an innovative active learning experience (i.e., class trip to a children’s museum) aimed at expanding child psychology students’ knowledge of the developmental benefits of play. A secondary goal is to present preliminary data about the impact of this experience on students’ learning by examining scores of a pre /post knowledge assessment for students who went to the museum (N = 30; 27 female) and a comparison group who did not (N = 31; 29 female). Students who visited the museum demonstrated significantly greater improvement on the knowledge assessment relative to the comparison group. In response to an open-ended question, trip group students indicated that the museum experience helped them to better understand the role of play in children’s development and ways in which play behavior varies by age. Limitations of the empirical results related to the sample characteristics, scope of the knowledge assessment, and the nature of the museum trip are highlighted, along with a call for more rigorous future research on this topic.

The role of play in children's health and development Edited by Ute Navidi

The role of play in children's health and development Edited by Ute Navidi

A scoping review of research on play‐based pedagogies in kindergarten education

Across a number of countries, play‐based learning is the mandated pedagogy in early years’ curricula. However, a lack of consensus remains both in research and practice regarding the value and role of play in children's learning. This scoping review analyses 168 articles addressing play‐based learning for 4–5 year old children divided into three categories: research on play for developmental learning, research on play for academic learning and factors influencing play in kindergarten classrooms. Much of the research endorsed play as fulfilling an important role in early learning. However, two disparate perspectives concerning the role of play for developmental versus academic learning demonstrate different orientations towards the value and potential benefits of play. Research focused on developmental learning endorsed the use of free play and a passive teacher role, while research focused on academic learning endorsed teacher‐directed and mutually directed play where the teacher fulfills an active play role. A similar lack of consensus was found among research with educators regarding the role and benefits of play. These findings indicate a need to move away from a binary stance regarding play and towards an integration of perspectives and practices, with different types of play perceived as complementary rather than incompatible.

The Role of Play in Children’s Palliative Care

Play is the universal language of childhood and the time and opportunity to play is every child’s right. The role of play as a vehicle for communication, a tool for distraction and its value in the holistic development of a normal child is without dispute. The role and value of play increases proportionately when a child is made more vulnerable through illness or disability. Despite this, providing time and opportunities to play can be overlooked or considered to be of little importance or relevance when the focus of the adult carers is the amelioration of clinical symptoms of the illness and on lessening the psychological impact the illness may have on the child. This paper outlines the role and the value of play as an integral component in the provision of palliative care for children with chronic, life-threatening and life-limiting conditions. It will show how providing appropriate equipment, sufficient time and relevant play opportunities not only improves the very sick child’s psychological wellbeing, but also allows the child to cast aside the confines and restrictions imposed upon them by their illness and for a few golden moments to be nothing more than a child at play.

Play activities in the classroom: a window into seven- to eight-year-olds' thinking competence

A significant body of research has examined the role of play in children's learning and development. There is little research to date that has studied seven- to eight-year-olds' thinking competence in their play activities. The diversity, unpredictability, and spontaneity of children's play pose a challenge to the analysis and assessment of children's thinking competence in their play activities. This paper reports on a qualitative study that employed a cognitive task analysis approach to investigate children's thinking competence in the play activities of 28 7–8-year-olds in a New Zealand primary classroom. Case examples are discussed to demonstrate the kind of insights that could be obtained into emergent and unanticipated aspects of children's thinking competence. It is argued that play activities provide a window into children's thinking competence and offer meaningful contexts for children to exercise their thinking skills at this stage of formal schooling.

Research and Policy on Children’s Play

Abstract— The role of play in human development is a source of controversy. Some view it as indispensable to children’s healthy development and education, whereas others marginalize it as a topic unworthy of study and of questionable functional significance. This article suggests that differences in how researchers define play and conceptualize function have led to this disagreement. It also makes educational policy and research recommendations about the role of play in children’s lives.

Mothers'and Proprietors/Caregivers' Opinions Of Developmental Role Of Play In Children's Lives

This study investigated mothers' and proprietors/caregivers' opinions on the importance of play to children's development in Ibadan. Sample consists of Two hundred and ninety-five respondents (220 working mothers, 75 proprietors/caregivers). They were randomly selected from the various government ministries, corporate organisations, and 25 Daycare Centres within Ibadan North Local Government. Mothers and Proprietor/caregivers responded to Children's Leisure Assessment Scale (CLAS, r =0.93). Three research questions were raised and answered in the study. Data were analyzed using simple percentages. Findings revealed that 89.5% of mothers and 92% of proprietor/caregivers agreed that play provides opportunities for creativity in children. Also, mothers (97.7%) and proprietor/caregivers (98.6%) agreed that plays enhance children's perception and imagination. Findings also revealed that although, mothers and proprietor/caregivers agreed that children's take-home assignments are important, they disagreed on free time for children; majority of the proprietor/caregivers (92%) opined that children should be given some time to play freely, while 65% of the mothers disagreed. Findings also showed that mothers (85.9%) and proprietor/caregivers (100%) agreed that children mostly play with same sex partners. Based on the findings, tips on how to make use of free play as a factor to facilitate development among children were given. Keywords: Mothers, Proprietor, Caregiver, Daycare, Children and Play. International Journal of Emotional Psychology and Sport Ethics Vol. 10 2008: pp.187-198

Attachment Security Among Mothers and Their Young Children Living in Poverty: Associations with Maternal, Child, and Contextual Characteristics

In order to extend previous research and inform intervention programs, the goal of the present study was to further understand variability in mother-child attachment security among high-risk families living in poverty. Mothers (65% Hispanic) and their young children who were in a home visitor program (n = 74) to connect families with basic services or who were on the waiting list (n = 27) for the program were visited at home. Mothers completed the Attachment Q-Set, the Parenting Stress Index, and a questionnaire on beliefs about the role of play in children's development and parenting efficacy in either Spanish or English. Observers assessed maternal sensitivity and the presence of appropriate play materials. Results indicated that maternal, child, and contextual variables were significantly associated with attachment security. Furthermore, greater cumulative assets were related to more secure attachment relationships.

For Parents Particularly:The Role of Play in Children's Lives

(1993). For Parents Particularly: The Role of Play in Children's Lives. Childhood Education: Vol. 69, No. 4, pp. 237-238.

Children's play - a forgotten right

Play - the forgotten right describes the important and often overlooked role of play in children's learning. It describes the characteristics of a good play space and points to the inadequate in provision for children's play in Europe (and virtually all other societies). It also discusses the impact on children (and on their later development as adults) of deprived or inadequate play experiences. The concluding section identifies some general criteria to guide the setting-up or improvement of play environments