journal early chilhood

8/12/2019 Journal early chilhood

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INTRODUCTION

Preschool years are often termed as the tryage. This period is ideal for learning new skills.Much learning takes place by observing anddoing and development of preschoolers can bestimulated both by providing opportunity forchildren to learn on their own in play and byinteracting in which the adults deliberatelyteaches some thing. The play activities shouldideally include free play, organized (group) play,physical activities and play ground activitiesusing play apparatus (Seth and Ahuja, 1995).Play and play materials are part of the basic needsof all preschool children. Various theories andempirical findings constantly signify the greatpotential that play has in directing preschoolerslearn to interact and adapt to their environment.Imaginative play allows preschool children toact out real life situations that they may notunderstand and by solving these problems theygain a sense of satisfaction and power over theirown small world (Haight and Miller, 1993).Feeling of independence and confidence the twovery important emotions are also developed.Providing children with opportunities to solveboth physical and mental problems also encoura-ges development of their cognitive skills (Block

and Pellegrini, 1989). Children progress throughsolitary and parallel play and then begin to playin group situations and it is in these groupsituations that the children learn to give andreceive, and to share and cooperate with theirpeers thus developing their ability to formrelationship with others. It is also helpful in thedevelopment of vocabulary and conceptformation (Mc Cune, 1995), visual motorintegration (Yarkes, 1982) and satisfies theexploratory drive (Gumaer, 1984).

Dunn and Herming (1992) reveal theinfluence of gender in guiding the playpreferences of young children. They reported thatboys display more functional/solitary functionalplay (fantasy play and more originality) thangirls, who exhibit more constructive play(playing with concrete objects). There is a stronggender differentiation in both the choice of playmaterial as well as the games. Play is ascribeddifferent meanings in different ecological andsocial settings (Oke et al., 1999; Block et al.,1989). The availability of physical space and playmaterials can make a lot of difference. Whenchildren have more interactions with adults and

the adults exhibit more participative behaviour,then children engage in less of unoccupied andsolitary play (both are types of non social play)and are able to learn various concepts easily(Vandell and Power, 1983).

The present study was designed to gatherinformation on the play pattern of young childrenin the preschool setting. Analysis of the play

Kamla-Raj 2005 J. Hum. Ecol., 18(1): 21-25 (2005)

Play Pattern in Preschool Setting

Rajni Dhingra, Sarika Manhas and Anita Raina

P.G. Department of Home Science, University of Jammu, Jammu 180 004, Jammu and Kashmir, India

KEYWORDS Preschoolers. Outdoor/Free Play. Nature of Play. Adult Supervision

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to assess the play pattern of children in the preschool setting. Theaspects covered included studying the play equipments available to these children, the nature and content of their playactivities and the adult supervision available. The sample consisted of 40 play sessions comprising of children in theage group of 2-5 years, studying in 20 preschools across Jammu city. The adults present were also observed for theirdirect or indirect participation. A combination of random and event sampling was used for sample selection. Thetools used included non-participant observations and interviews. The results revealed that the play behaviour of thechildren did not undergo any alterations in the preschool setting. Opportunities for free play and outdoor activitieswere available at all the preschools. The play activities underwent alterations due to availability of space and playequipments. The children indulged in pretend, associative and constructive play in a number of play sessions. They

also exhibited cooperative, solitary and onlooker play but to slightly lesser extent. Gender and age differences werenoted in the play behaviour of the children and were especially evident in homogenous groups. Presence of teachershelped in making the play activities more organized and stimulating.

Address For Correspondance: Dr. Sarika Manhas, 7A/BGandhi Nagar, Jammu-180004, Jammu & Kashmir, IndiaPhone: 0191-2457137 (Off.); 0191-2546262 (Resi.);

E-mail: [email protected]


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pattern included covering of aspects such as thenature of play material available, the nature of play activities exhibited by these children andthe nature and extent of adult supervisioninvolved. Studies in the past have overlookedthe influence of preschool setting in shaping theplay behaviour of the young children. Researcheshave been confined to the play activities in openspaces and mainly deal with the play behaviourof children in their middle and late childhood,focusing little on the activities of preschoolers,especially within the confines of the preschool.

METHOD

Sample and Procedure: The children the agegroup of 2-5 years were observed as members of varied play groups, essentially during the middayschool break. These children were studying in 20preschools of Jammu city. A total of 40 playsessions of the children (two each from onepreschool) were observed for gathering data ontheir play pattern. Adult members present,especially teachers, were also observed for theirdirect or indirect participation in childrens play.Random sampling (lottery method) was used forthe selection of the preschool and event sampling(instantaneous sampling) technique was used forthe observation of the spontaneous play sess-ions,. These observations were non-participantin nature, with the preschoolers being unaware

of the purpose of the observations. The entireplay session was observed starting from itsformation to its dissolution.

Tools: Non-participant observations andinterviews were used for gathering the relevantdata. For the children on spot, non-participantobservation were carried out, while for theteachers an interview schedule was prepared. Thisschedule contained questions pertaining to basicinformation about the preschool, the number of working hour, teacher-child ratio, supervision atthe time of play, activities of children and so on.

Analysis: For the analysis of the data bothquantitative and qualitative procedures wereused. Part of the data was summarized forfrequency and percentages and for the restcontent analysis was done to deduce the majorfindings.

RESULTS

The results reveal that out of the 20 pre-schools covered 16 were run by private agencies

and the remaining 04 were public institutions. Allthese preschools were near residential area, andexcept for two, rest all were located in clean andhygienic surroundings. 90% of these preschoolsran for 5-6 hours daily and only 10% were runningfor more than 5hours/day. Normally the childrenwere in the age range of 2-5 years and children of same age were usually clubbed together. 60% of the preschools made a combinative use of formaland play way education and the other 40% usedonly play way method of teaching. In the lattersystem of education the stress was mainly onteaching of rudimentary skills through use of playtechniques, while in the former system the stresswas equally divided between formal teaching bythe use of the three Rs and play techniques of

teaching-learning. Also in the latter system therewas a flexibility of curriculum. However, in allthe preschools there was no fixed timetable. Inmajority of the preschools 9 (45%) a teacherchild ratio of 1:10 was maintained. In another 5(25%) a ratio of 1: 20 and in 3 (15%) preschoolseach a ration of 1:30 and 1: 40 was observedrespectively. Apart from this there was a provi-sion of helpers in all the preschool and the numberof helpers was in accordance with the number of children.

Outdoor Space and Play Behaviour: 60% of the preschools allotted two hours and 40% onehour on a daily basis for free play activities andwere usually observed at the mid-day break orthe periods immediately following the same. Thechildren played on their own during these playtimes with little restrictions and interference fromothers. Also at these times the children invariablepreferred to play outside their classroom with theexception being the times when the climate wasunsuitable (rain/harsh sun) or the play spaceavailable was very limited. All the preschools hadprovision of different outdoor play equipment.Majority (65%-70%) of the preschools hadequipment for jumping, cycling, climbing andsand play. Eight schools each had provision forwater play and gardening. The children showedinterest in the different play equipments and

enjoyed themselves in the open and spaciousplay grounds. The specific play equipment thatwere available at these preschools includedswings (95%), ropes and balls (85%), tricycles(80%), climbing frames (65%), rocking horses(60%), balancing boards (55%), planks (45%) and

jungle gym (10%). In 25% of the preschools thetoys and equipment were bought keeping in view


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the age and safety of the children whereas in theoverwhelming majority, 75% of the preschoolsequipments were selected according to thepreferences of the children. The favourite outdoorplay activities of these children were observed tobe playing with swings, dancing/jumping, tag/ running, hide and seek, and riding rocking horses.When large open play field were available thechildren used to indulge in games that requiredrunning and jumping in the open filed, but whenlittle free space was available the children tried toindulge in games, which were sedentary in nature.Some of these children played in a group whileothers had little interaction with others. It wasobserved that the children used to shift quicklyfrom one play activity to another. It was also

observed that when a number of play equipmentswere available the children made utmost use of them. All the children showed interest in themand structured their games around these. But onthe other hand, when only a few play equipmentswere available then the children showed lessinterest in them and their involvement with themwas limited. Relative presence or absence of playmaterials brought visible changes in the contentand nature of the games though there were nochanges in the duration of the play period. Whenthe equipments were available the childrenindulged in games that were more physicallychallenging and had more variety. On the otherhand, the children exhibited more sedentary andmonotonous games in absence of the playmaterial.

Nature of Play: In 40 play sessions observedthe children indulged in about 12 types of games.The nature of play activities and the rules follo-wed by the children during the games remainedalmost same across different preschools. In theseplay sessions the children exhibited pretend playin 12 (30%) incidences. They tried to imitateanimals, parents, friends as well as their teachers.Girls usually formed groups and pretended as if they were feeding and bathing their dolls. Theypretended to take them to school and at timesacted as if they were teachers while their dolls

were the students. The girls were usually notedto imitate their mothers, teachers, televisionactresses and other familiar female characters. Onthe other hand, the boys were found to imitatemale members at home and their most commonimitation was that of a police/army officer or adoctor. 10 incidences (25%) of associative playwere noted among these children. The children

interacted and showed interest among each other.They used to borrow and lend toys to oneanother and this process became an activity initself for them. In 8 episodes (20%) the childrenexhibited constructive play. They played withdifferent types of blocks and formed differentstructures such as bridge, house or a car. Here,the children used to draw and indulge in moreorganized set of activities. Children who wereelder and mostly above 3 years in age indulgedmore in the three of the above mentioned playtypes. Besides, these, 5 incidences (12%) of cooperative, 3 incidences (8%) of solitary play,and 2 incidences (5%) of onlooker play wereobserved. A few children would simply try to look at what others did and showed no involvement

at all in these activities. While in solitary play thechildren quietly played on their own with littlecare to what others were doing. These types of play activities were usually exhibited by youngerchildren especially those below 3 3 1/2 years of age.

Gender Segregation: It was found that out of the 40 play sessions, 60% of the playgroups wereheterogeneous and the remaining 40% werehomogenous in nature. Age and gender of thechildren had no influence on the former grouptype while in the latter both these factors were of prime consideration. In the former type of groupsno specific differentiation on the basis of gendercould be noted while in the later differences wereobserved in the nature and content of the playactivities according to the gender of the children.The girls played with dolls and soft toys and alsoamong the outdoor equipment they showedpreference for swings and ropes. While the boyswere usually seen to show more interest in cars,aeroplanes and among the outdoor materialsshowed more interest in bat and ball, rockinghorses, and climbing frames. The female childrenwere restricted in their use of space anddemarcated their play space at the outset of thegames while the boys tend to make maximum useof the space. More male children indulged inassociative and constructive platy and were more

aggressive and showed preference for physicallydemanding games while the female childrenindulged more in pretend play activities andseemed to be more docile and preferred lessphysically taxing games.

Adult Supervision: In all the preschools thechildren used to play under direct or indirectsupervision of the adults. During the free play


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24 RAJNI DHINGRA, SARIKA MANHAS AND ANITA RAINA

sessions this was mainly an indirect supervision.At 25% of the preschools this was meant only forthe safety of the children. The teachers felt thatthe children needed to be constantly monitoredso that they do not fight with one another or hurtthemselves. But in the other 75% of the casessupervision was provided not only to safeguardthe children but also to provide mental stimula-tion. The teachers would constantly provideinputs to the children to as to pass on their expe-rience and knowledge of games. In majority of the preschools (18) no physical restrictions wereimposed on the children except those necessaryfor their physical safety. The only restrictionsapplicable on the children were those related todiscipline. The teachers enforced these restrict-

ions such as asking for permission before touch-ing the toys, talking to others. It was found thatthe children were little influenced by the presenceof the adults and they continued with their naturalplay behaviour. But at the same time it wasobserved that in the presence of the teachers thechildren had fewer fights amongst themselves andwould be more organized.

DISCUSSION

The present study was conducted to focuson the play pattern of the children in the preschoolsetting. The analysis of the result reveals thatmost of the schools had provision of free play

activity for their children. Midday break wasoffered at all the schools and this time was utilizedby the children mainly for their free play activities.Besides this many preschools earmarked specificintervals for free play. Whether the childrenplayed in open or in preschool setting their playbehaviour hardly altered and they were notadversely influenced by the presence of theirteachers. Not withstanding in which preschoolthey study, the children exhibited the same playbehaviour. Their games and activities were similarin nature and content.

All the preschools also offered the childrenopportunity to play with outdoor equipment. Thechildren showed a strong liking for outdoor activi-ties and modified their play behaviour accordingto the availability of the play space. When thechildren had facility of large playground theyindulged in activities such as tag and other games,which required running and chasing one another.But in the preschools where large open play fieldswere not available it was seen that the children

indulged in more sedentary games. This showsthat the children always make adaptive use of thespace available to them. Similar results were foundin the study conducted by Oke et al. (1999) whichhighlighted the creative use of the space by thechildren. The children were also found to shiftfrequently from one play activity to another,showing that preschoolers need variety of playmaterial and opportunity to play. The results of Kaul (1993) reveal that the children shiftfrequently from one play activity to another.

Results also show that the play behaviour of the children was altered due to the relative prese-nce or absence of the play equipment. Thoughthere was no alteration in the duration of the playperiod but significant differences in the nature

and content of the games was observed. The chil-dren structured the games around these materialsin case of their availability. The studies conductedby Hartel (1996) and Calodero (1989) also foundthat the play patterns underwent changes due tothe kind of play material available. When playequipment was available the games required morephysical activities and had more variety.

The children tend to exhibit different types of play such as pretend, associative, constructive,cooperative, solitary and onlooker. The inciden-ces were slightly higher for the first two play typesand also the slightly elder children indulged morein the first three types of play. These results aresimilar to the findings of Doyel and Leeper (1992)and Haight and Miller (1993) who found that asthe children approach 3 years of age they showremarkable lowering in onlooker and solitary playactivities and an increase in pretend and constru-ctive play. The results also confirm the genderdifferences in the play behaviour of the children.Sharp differences in the play because of genderwere visible only in homogenous groups whereas in heterogene-ous groups where both the girlsas well as the boys participated no segregationon the basis of gender was evident. Analysis of the former groups reveals that the female childrenindulged in sedentary play and also were moreinvolved in pretend play whereas the male child-ren exhibited more of associative and constructiveplay and liked more physically challenging games.Similar results were found in the study of Kour etal. (2000) and Oke et al. (1999). Differences werealso noted in their preferences of play materials.The age mix and gender differences in play clearlyreflect the distinct socialization of the childreneven at this tender age. Girls conform to the rules


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25PLAY PATTERN IN PRESCHOOL SETTING

of the game whereas boys use flexible rules andchange them as per their own convenience.

It was found that the presence of adults hardlyaltered the play behaviour of the children exceptfor when the adults deliberately interfered in theiractivities. In the presence of adults the childrenbecame more organized and more sustained.Results of research conducted by Garland andWhite (1980) also found that when adults wereinvolved the level of childrens play became morecomplicated and sustained.

The parents and the early childhoodeducators should acknowledge the importanceof play as a potential medium of instruction. Asit was found that many children during theseyears indulged in pretend and constructive play,

thus while being engaged in play activities thechildren can learn many new and importantconcepts. Learning can be moulded into anenjoyable experience for the children byincorporating play. The results showedremarkable improvement in the play behaviourof the children due to the presence of the teachersand hence imply that the elders can providemental stimulations to the children for theirhealthy overall development.

REFERENCES

Block, M.N. and Pellegrini, A.D.: Ways of looking atchildren, context and play, pp. 1-15, In: The

Ecological Context of Childrens Play . M.N. Block and A.D.Pellegrini (Eds.). Ablex, New York (1989).

Calodera, B.S.: The acquisition and extinction of peerimitation in children. Psychonomic Science, 41 :147-148 (1989).

Doyel, K. and Leeper, H.: Transformation of physicalenvironment into symbol. Merill-Plamer Quarterly , 42 :10-15 (1992).

Dunn, L.D. and Herming, S.: Play pattern and cognition. Journa l of Child Study, 22 : 34-35 (1992).

Garland, C. and White, S.: Children and Day Nurseries .Grant McIntyre, London (1980).

Gumaer, J.: Counseling and Therapy for Children . Free Press,New York (1984).

Haight, L. and Miller, P.: Amount of time spent by children forpretend play. Merrill -Palmer Quarterly, 44 : 12-15(1993).

Hartle, L.: Effects of additional materials on preschool childrensoutdoor play behaviour. Jou rna l of Research inChildhood Education , 11: 68-81 (1996).

Kaul, V.: Play- An instrument of child growth. Paper presented at the Joint Indo-Swedish Conference on the Childs Right to Play, Pune (1993).

Kour, A., Manhas, S. and Dhingra, R.: Play Activities Am ong Gujjar Child re n. University of Jammu,Jammu, India (2000).

Mc Cune.: Langu age and Play Acti viti es . John Wileyand Sons, New York (1995).

Oke, M., Khattar, A., Pant, P. and Saraswati, T.S.: A profile of child play in urban India. Childhood, 6: 207-220 (1999).

Seth, K. and Ahuja, K.: Minimum Specification for Preschool .National Council of Educational Research and Training,New Delhi (1995).

Vandell, P. and Power, T.: Play and its trends. Childhood Education , 6: 21-25 (1983).

Yarkes, R.: A play ground that extends the classroom. ERIC Document : 239-302 (1982).

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