National University of Ireland, Galway /
Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh
Parental perspectives on how play
contributes to a child’s learning and
development in a playgroup setting
Annette Keane Research Project
NUI Galway 2014
[email protected]
Research Question
What is the parental understanding of the contribution of
play in a playgroup setting to the learning and
development of the child?
Purpose
• To establish parental understanding of the benefits of play to
the developing child
• To determine if that understanding included how play
contributed to their child’s development and learning
Objectives
• to inform and support parents as primary educators
• To help parents to recognise and understand play as the
medium through which young children can reach their
full potential
The benefits are:
• parents can provide for and assist in their child’s learning
and development in a fun way
• a good level of education not needed tp provide and
assist child
• The child benefits from increased parental
understanding and participation in their play
Other considerations
• Literature
• Ethics
• Method
• Participants
Themes for analysis
• Benefits of play
• Social development and learning
• Emotional development and learning
• Physical development and learning
• Language development and learning
• Cognitive development and learning
Benefits of play
• It is fun
• It prevents children from getting bored
• It keeps children occupied
• Share and problem solve
• Brain development
• In play children have to think;
• Exercise is good for the brain
Social learning and development
• Important for the child to interact with peers
• Building relationships
• See other viewpoints
• Sharing
• Turn taking
• Learn to negotiate and problem solve
Emotional Learning and Development
• Appropriate language to express emotions both positively and
negatively
• Connected emotional development to physical activity
• Less frustration leading to good mental health
• Small children did not get stressed
Language learning and development
• Opportunities to be involved in conversation and practice
using language’
• ‘He didn’t have words, but he was able to communicate with
others through his play and then he learned the words’
• Opportunities to use words in the correct context
• Connected stories and nursery rhymes to language
development
• Make believe play in the acquisition and learning of
vocabulary
Physical learning and development
• Immediate response was that physical learning and
development is outside play
• Linked to health and well-being
• 1 participant felt physical exercise was good for the brain
• With 1 exception, no connection to gross motor development,
balance and co-ordination
• There was no mention of fine motor development at all
Findings/discussion
• Responses varied from ‘this is what children do’ to ‘just playing’
• Creative activities were linked to ‘make and do’, painting
• Scribbles were not seen as a child’s early writing skills
‘she wastes all the copy books with her scribbling’; its just
scribbling, they think they can write, they’ll learn all that
in school
• Block play was associated with ‘children building things’ ‘making
rows’
• Suppose they might be learning how to count, but they learn all that
properly when they go to school
Conclusion:
• Participants understanding of the value of play was basic
• Participants identified obvious links i.e interactions, language,
problem solving, what was easily seen
• Difficulty identifying physical development and learning
• Difficulty identifying cognitive development and learning
Thank you for listening
Annette Keane. BA Early Childhood Studies and Practices
[email protected]