Gender,play, language,and creativity in preschoolers

This study explored the effects of a child's gender and school setting on preschoolers' language abilities (receptive vocabulary), creativity, and social play. The participants were primarily European-American children who spoke English as a primary language (nine children were bilingual), and were from middle income socioeconomic backgrounds. There were 20 girls and 33 boys. Ages ranged from 3.11 to 6.60 years with a mean age of 4.66 years. On separate occasions, children individually completed the Goodenough-Harris Draw-a-Person Test and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV. We also recorded the children's social play using Howes and Matheson's [1992. Sequences in the development of competent play with peers: Social and social pretend play. Developmental Psychology, 28, 961–974] scale. We employed a time sampling approach and also notated the area in which the child was playing. We found that gender and school setting influenced children's language abilities and social play. For example, children in the preschool that engaged in pretend play with greater frequency performed well on the receptive vocabulary test. We also found that certain classroom areas generated different types of social play. We discuss the applied value of our findings as these relate to future research.     

Children's creativity in day care

In this research, children's creativity in pretend play and the conditions for creativity during high involvement are studied from four points of view: as a zone for proximal development, as a skill, as a personal orientation and as a culturally shared environment creation. The theoretical model is influenced by Vygotsky's ideas of creativity as cultural mediation. The research methods are systematic observation and skill evaluation. The participants are 280 Finnish four- to five-year-old children in day care. The results highlight the importance of play both by sheer volume and also by children's involvement in it. Children's internalised skills result in personal choices and a personal network of peer contacts. The different choices result in different creative culture production environments. Creative children attract each other and they meet in creative social processes. However, less creative children get excluded from the creative core. Thus, children who need creative scaffolding the most get it the least. The possibilities of involving children in creative processes are discussed.     

Preschool children's outdoor play area preferences

This study explores preschool children's outdoor play preferences. The sample was 40 (20 male, 20 female) primarily European‐American three and four year olds. Data were collected via naturalistic observation and analyzed using repeated measures ANOVAs and MANOVAs. The independent variable was sex of child; dependent variable was play space (riding, sandbox, slide, jungle gym, open space, castle/play house, swings). Findings revealed a significant effect of sex of child on choice of play space – boys preferred to play on the jungle gym and swings, whereas girls preferred the sandbox more than boys. These findings both support and contradict existing literature. Future research should pursue children's use of microspaces in their play environments.     

The relationship between preschool block play and reading and maths abilities in early elementary school: a longitudinal study of children with and without disabilities

The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive relationship between the level of symbolic representation in block constructions of preschoolers and reading and mathematics abilities and rate of growth in early elementary school for children with and without disabilities. Fifty‐one children participated, 22 of whom had identified disabilities. No predictive relationship between representational level of block constructions and maths abilities was found. However, growth curve analysis documented that preschoolers, who had higher levels of representation in their block constructions, had higher reading abilities and a faster rate of growth in reading abilities in the early elementary years. This predictive relationship held true for children with and without disabilities. Findings are discussed in relation to the importance of early experiences that are physically and socially organised to provide young children with the foundation for later learning.     

The role of language ability in young children's cooperation during play and collaborative interactions

Language and metacommunication are assumed to be important for accomplishing a high level of cooperation in social play. Research to date, however, does not address the relationship of language ability and metacommunication to the complexity of cooperation. This study investigated this relationship by observing 24 four- and five-year-old children's non-verbal and verbal cooperation during free play and a collaboration task in kindergarten. The results showed that the role of language ability and metacommunication depends on the context of behaviour. In free play but not in the task, high language ability was related to more complex non-verbal cooperation. There were no differences in verbal cooperation in free play or task in extending play to a coherent theme, but results for verbally taking up the child's own or the other's contribution were inconsistent. Differences in metacommunication were only found for the task.     

Guiding future early childhood educators to reclaim their own play as a foundation for becoming effective advocates for children's play

Two case studies describe how two women, enrolled in an undergraduate course on play, were guided to examine play across their lifespan, critique the barriers that led to a decline in their play from childhood to young adulthood, and engage in cycles of documentation, dialogue, and analysis of their adult play experiences in order to discover pathways to reclaim play in their adult lives. Two assignments were used to facilitate the students' learning process; online blogs and digital lifespan play portfolios created on interactive wikis. Research on women's leisure and feminist poststructuralism informs discussion of the findings. Implications of the study's findings suggest that supporting early childhood professionals to develop as child advocates able to articulate the value of play for children's learning and development should begin by helping them to make important discoveries about the role of play in their own lives.     

Early childhood education and care practitioners' perceptions of children's risky play; examining the influence of personality and gender

While there is a growing interest in children's risk-taking behaviours and their safety when at play, there is also a focus on the need to balance the hazards of risks with the benefits of risk. This is also a growing concern among researchers of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The research conducted thus far on ECEC practitioners' perceptions of children's risky play has been qualitative. The aim of this study takes a quantitative approach to ECEC practitioners' perceptions of children's risky play with an aim to reveal how the perception is related to the practitioner's age, gender, and personality. Questionnaires, including a personality test, were administered to 116 Norwegian ECEC practitioners (20% male practitioners). The results indicate that male practitioners score higher on excitement-seeking scales than female practitioners, have a more liberal attitude towards children's risky play, and allow children to engage in greater risky play than women.     

Measuring the effects of toys on the problem-solving,creative and social behaviours of preschool children

Although previous research has explored the effects of various environmental influences on young children's play, the influence of toys has rarely been examined. This paucity of toy studies is due to a lack of a scientifically constructed observation system to evaluate the impact of play materials across developmental domains. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the reliability and validity of such an instrument. An eight-item, five-point rating system was constructed, based on previous toy research. To establish inter-rater reliability, two researchers independently used the instrument to rate the effects of 23 toys on the spontaneous play of 16 preschool children. There was a high level of agreement between observers (r = .81–.88, across items). A factor analysis was conducted to identify clusters of items that measure like dimensions of play effects; three distinct factors were identified: thinking/learning, creativity/imagination and social interaction. To establish validity, the instrument was used to rate five common toys that could be predicted, based on earlier work, to have distinct influences on play. The instrument was found to discriminate among these toys in ways that are consistent with previous research and that make theoretical sense. The uses of this instrument in both future research and classroom practice are discussed.     

Preschool children's social and nonsocial play behaviours. Measurement and correlations with children's playfulness,behaviour problems and demographic characteristics

Children's play contributes to their overall development. Yet, not all types of play have the same effects. On the contrary, nonsocial play has been found to be correlated with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The present study had a twofold aim. On the one hand it aimed at assessing Greek preschool children's social and nonsocial play, employing the Preschool Play Behaviour Scale, children's playfulness, employing Children's Playfulness Scale, and children's potential behaviour problems, with the Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire. On the other hand, it aimed at examining whether the types of play children engage in are predicted by their playfulness and by potential behaviour problems, as well as whether personal and family variables affect children's social and nonsocial play. Results suggest that the sample exhibits rather medium levels of nonsocial behaviours during play. Thus, correlation analysis showed that social and nonsocial types of play are predicted by playfulness components and that certain behavioural problems and personal and family characteristics are correlated with types of play. Implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are formulated.     

Prevalence and stability of active play,restricted movement and television viewing in infants

This study describes engagement in and stability of physical activity and sedentary behaviours in early life, and assesses associations with sex, maternal education and developmental stage. Maternal-report data at child age 4, 9 and 20 months were collected from 542 families in the Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial Program. Parents estimated average time per day their child spent in active pursuits or pursuits that restricted movement. With increasing age, children generally spent more time in active pursuits and watching television, and less time in situations that restrict movement. Associations were found with age of developmental milestone attainment but not sex or maternal education. Stability over time was strongest for television viewing (β?=?0.34–0.38) and time spent outdoors (β?=?0.27–0.33). Contrary to guidelines, television viewing increased and showed stability, suggesting a need to target this behaviour very early in life to achieve optimal longer term outcomes.     

Using cross-cultural,intergenerational play narratives to explore issues of social justice and equity in discourse on children's play

Discussion of children's play in international and diverse communities requires careful consideration of social, cultural and political contexts impacting children's lives, as well as recognition of the complexities revealed when these variables are identified and analysed. Using diverse conceptual frameworks represented in the research literature on play – traditional developmental, sociocultural, human rights and poststructural – we analyse examples of children's conceptions about play and retrospective interviews about adults' play memories drawn from two research studies. As a result, we illuminate tensions that exist in global discussions of children's play. Using the goal of improving social justice and equity in children's lives as a foundational framework guiding our analysis and discussion of children's play, we suggest that concluding what is in the best interests of children involves learning to engage in difficult conversations where tensions, complexities and contingencies are objectively and openly explored.     

Canadian female and male early childhood educators' perceptions of child aggression and rough-and-tumble play

This study investigated female and male early childhood educators' (ECEs) perceptions of young children's aggression and rough-and-tumble play in the Canadian early childhood classroom. Participants were drawn from a larger sample of ECEs who completed an online questionnaire regarding their perceptions of young children's behaviours in the classroom. This study involved n?=?11 males from this sample and a matched subset of n?=?11 females. Participants were presented with a series of vignettes depicting children displaying different types of aggression (i.e. relational, physical) as well as rough-and-tumble play, and completed a series of follow-up questions pertaining to their attitudes for each type of behaviour. Results showed compared to their female counterparts, male ECEs reported that both physical aggression and rough-and-tumble play held less negative social and academic implications for boys than girls. Educational implications for gender-inclusive, play-based early childhood programmes are discussed.     

The effect of parental involvement and encouragement on preschool children's symbolic play

The purpose of our study was to examine the ways in which parents engage in play with their children within the family context and to establish which parental play behaviour predicts the play behaviour of their children during interactive play with toys. The sample included 58 children from 2;6 to 6 years old and their parents. The parent–child dyads were videotaped in the home setting during a 30-minute interactive play period with both structured and unstructured toys, chosen by the researchers. The interactive play was analysed using the Scale for Observing Child–Adult Play [Marjanovi?-Umek, L., &; Fekonja-Peklaj, U. (2012). Lestvica za opazovanje otroka in star?a med igro [Scale for Observing Child–Adult Play]. Ljubljana: Oddelek za psihologijo, Filozofska fakulteta], which consists of five categories for assessing the adult's play and four categories for assessing the child's play. The results obtained showed positive correlations between parents' and children's play behaviour. The regression analysis showed that the parental use of mental transformations was the strongest predictor of a child's play behaviour; namely, the development of the play content and play frame as well as the child's use of mental transformations. The findings provide important possible implications, especially in the sense of scaffolding children's symbolic play.     

Observation instrument of play behaviour in a classroom setting

The objective of this study was to develop an instrument to observe the play behaviour of a whole group of children from four to six years of age in a classroom setting on the basis of video recording. The instrument was developed in collaboration with experienced teachers and experts on play. Categories of play were derived from the literature and daily practice in Dutch classrooms (i.e. sensory, motor, construction, make-believe play and arts-and-games). Analysis of the video with the help of the observation instrument showed that the between-observer reliability was almost perfect. The simple and clearly structured instrument may be used by teachers or in teachers' education.     

The Play Activity Questionnaire: A parent report measure of children's play preferences

Three studies describe the development and validation of the Play Activity Questionnaire (PQ), a parent report measure of children's play preferences. In Study 1, the 15-item PQ was completed by parents of 239 6- to 8-year-old children, and exploratory factor analysis revealed four play factors: Active and Adventurous, Athletic, Rough-and-Tumble, and Quiet. In Study 2, the factor structure was replicated with PQ data on 203 children of a broader age range (4 to 12 years). The play factors accounted for 65.7% of the variance. Boys' scores exceeded girls' scores on the Athletic and Rough-and-Tumble play factors. Girls' scores exceeded boys' scores on the Quiet play factor. Sex differences were not observed on the Active and Adventurous play factor. Interparent agreement was moderately high, and PQ factor scores were unrelated to social class or nationality. Individual factor scores showed moderate to high stability over 5 months. Validity of the play factors was examined in Study 3 by relating factor scores to measures of activity level, aggression, and sex-typed play. Play factor scores were associated with several of these measures, suggesting that the PQ is a valid measure of children's play behavior with potential applications in the fields of developmental psychopathology and psychoneuroen-docrinology, and in studies of normal play and sex-role development.This research is funded with the assistance of grant No. MA-10052 from the Medical Research Council of Canada. The first author is supported by a Research Scholar Award from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation.     

家庭养育与儿童早期语言发展

语言学习是儿童学习能力与语言环境相互作用的产物,其发生在儿童积极参与的社会环境中。语言能力的差异在婴幼儿期开始出现,贯穿并影响人的一生。近年来,越来越多国内外学者开展针对家庭养育对儿童早期语言发展的研究。了解家庭养育对儿童早期语言发展的影响,为从家庭养育角度制定预防及干预策略、促进儿童早期语言最佳发展提供依据。     

Observing free play in classrooms with an instrument based on video analysis

The aim of this study was to investigate the play behaviour of 877 children aged four to six in 47 classes of different sizes in the Netherlands. Video recordings were captured during choice (free play) time once in each class. The video recordings were analysed by trained bachelor students in education with the help of an observation instrument. In child-initiated play, children showed a variety of play, that is, sensory, motor, construction, make-believe, and arts and games that contribute to the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. Make-believe play and arts and games were observed the most. A rich playing environment (e.g. sand and water and boxes to climb on) yielded variation in play. The results of this study show that experienced teachers and contextual factors are of importance to provoke a variety in play.     

象征性游戏测试在儿童语言发育异常临床评估中的应用价值

目的 通过象征性游戏测试判断语言发育异常儿童的早期概念形成,以及用最简单方式处理符号,表达自我经验和想象的能力,探索其在儿童语言发育评估中的价值,并为促进儿童的语言发育和语言治疗目标的制定提供依据。方法 2010年8月-2011年1月在上海儿童医学中心发育行为儿科因语言问题就诊的263例儿童,男206例(78.3%),女57例(21.7%)。对所有儿童进行象征性游戏、Gesell婴幼儿发育量表、婴幼儿语言发育筛查量表及ABC儿童孤独症量表测试。结果 263例儿童的象征性游戏测试的发育年龄明显落后于平均生理年龄,且4个年龄段的象征性游戏测试的发育年龄均显著落后于其平均生理年龄,随年龄增长,两者差距有增大的趋势。象征性游戏测试的原始分与Gesell婴幼儿发育量表的4个能区的发育商(DQ)、婴幼儿语言发育筛查量表总分存在显著正相关性(P<0.001),与ABC儿童孤独症量表总分存在显著负相关性(P<0.001)。结论 象征性游戏测试结果可以提示语言发育异常儿童的早期概念形成,以及用最简单方式处理符号,表达自我经验和想象的能力,有助于鉴别不同原因的语言发育异常,并为促进儿童的语言发育和语言治疗目标的制定提供依据。