493

TODDLER PLAY ACTIVITIES DURING SMALL AND LARGE GROUP FREE PLAY

Jeanne Thibo Karns

HEFE, University of Akron, Akron OH 44325-6103

As the number of employed parents of young children increase, so does the number of young children participating in group childcare. Because of differences in parent's employment schedules, the number of children present during free play also varies. The purpose of this study was to explore the possible influence of changes in group size on social and play behaviors of familiar toddlers.

Subjects were 17 toddlers, 12 to 24 months old, enrolled full time in group childcare facilities in a large Midwestern city. All subjects had been regular participants in group care for a minimum of three months. All subjects had family based variation in arrival and departure times each day. Subjects were videotaped in free play with small (2 toddlers, 1 adult) and large (>7 toddlers, 2 adults) groups. Both play sessions lasted fifteen minutes and took place in the same playroom with the same familiar toys and familiar adult caregivers present for each condition. Observations took place during the first free play session of the day.

Caregiver ratings of the two most frequent playmates of each subject were used to select the peer for the small group condition. During the large group session, all toddlers enrolled in the group and their caretakers were present. Subjects were observed in one condition per day. A subject observed in a group session was not observed in a dyad session or used as a peer in a dyad session on that same day. The childcare centers made an alternate room available for play of the extra subjects during the videotaping of the small group sessions. One of the usual caregivers stayed with the small group and the other caregivers accompanied the additional children to the alternate area.

Toddler object play was continuously coded for levels of exploratory and pretend play. Social interaction was continuously coded for gaze direction (adult, peers, toys, and other), and proximity to adult or peer (touching, within reach, out of reach). Matched pair t-tests were used to compare each child's behavior in the small and large groups.

Subjects participated in more complex play in the small group. Proximity to adults was also greater in the small group. During the large group, subjects engaged in more observation of peers and their activity. Large and small groups appear to facilitate the opportunity for different social and play experiences. Understanding the differences between small and large group interactions may assist caregivers in curriculum planning and design of toddler playrooms.