The impact of children's perception of an activity as play rather than not play on emotional well‐being

Howard, Justine; McInnes, Karen

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2012.01405.x

Cited by 71 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This discussion offers support for the therapeutic value of deep play, where children can try on and try out alternative worlds (Howard and McInnes, ,b; Paley, ).…”

Section: Feelings Associated With Play and Not Playmentioning

confidence: 96%

Play in Middle Childhood: Everyday Play Behaviour and Associated Emotions

et al. 2017

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Children's reports about their play in middle childhood and the emotions they associate with play have received limited research attention. Using focus groups, this study asked 38 children in the UK about what, where and with whom they played. They were also asked how play made them feel. Children reported a wide range of play behaviours, with outdoor and traditional games being just as prominently mentioned as play with electronic devices. The emotional importance of play in middle childhood was apparent, with children associating play with strong positive emotions, and not being able to play with negative emotions and anxiety.

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“…This discussion offers support for the therapeutic value of deep play, where children can try on and try out alternative worlds (Howard and McInnes, ,b; Paley, ).…”

Section: Feelings Associated With Play and Not Playmentioning

confidence: 96%

Play in Middle Childhood: Everyday Play Behaviour and Associated Emotions

et al. 2017

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“…Most of the children's narratives were related to playing, and it was important to participate in the playing. The importance of playing in childhood has been stressed many times before [16, 17, 23, 24] and it was therefore not a surprise that the experiences were expressed through playing. Already in 1963, Erikson [25] described from a psychoanalytic perspective that playing can be used as a therapeutic tool for selfcare in children, which the present intervention will also support in daily life.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Web-Based Programme for Person-Centred Learning and Support Designed for Preschool Children with Long-Term Illness: A Pilot Study of a New Intervention

Hellstr

Nolbris²

2012

Nursing Research and Practice

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For children living with long-term illness, school age is a risk period with regard to psychosocial ill health and poor compliance with treatment. There is a need for methods to promote health, well-being, and self-esteem. This study describes a new concept for supporting children, person-centred web-based learning and support, which has been tested in 12 preschool children and incorporates learning about feelings, relationships, and the right to integrity. SKYPE was used for conversations between the child and the web teacher. Methods. The programme was developed and tested in two steps. The conversations were tape-recorded and analysed using phenomenography. The questions addressed concerned the quality of the intervention process: accessibility of intervention, learning content and support, and identification of measurable items and patterns. Findings. The children found it interesting to communicate with their web teacher using SKYPE. The story about Max and Sara served as a good basis for discussion, and development was found in the learning process. The children were able to talk about relations and feelings and developed an understanding for use in new situations in their daily lives. Items and patterns that are useful for research and documentation were identified, for example, well-being, resources, needs, and wishes.

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“…This appeared to be particularly relevant in this study in the preschool setting, where children were more conscious of rules and restrictions on play: “… I would also like to play hide‐and‐seek but we can only play sometimes.” It has been argued that if children do not have a choice over the activity, or whether they would like to participate, they do not demonstrate behaviours associated with increased emotional well‐being compared to those that do have choice . Giving a child autonomy and independence to engage in their preferred physical play facilitates increases in confidence and self‐esteem . However, it is noted that a child's choice for play does not necessarily need to be completely free of adult intervention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Encouraging a child to favour and enjoy active play is often a key objective of physical activity interventions, as children are more likely to participate in physical activities for reasons of fun and enjoyment . When a child participates in an activity that they enjoy, they are more likely to experience increased emotional well‐being and to feel happy and secure . Children have their own perception of enjoyable play, which often differs from adults’ perceptions of what enjoyable play is to children .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It's like you are in the jungle”: Using the draw‐and‐tell method to explore preschool children's play preferences and factors that shape their active play

Wiseman

Roßmann

Lee

et al. 2018

Health Prom J of Aust

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Issue addressed A child's preference for active or sedentary play is a key proximal indicator of a child's physical activity behaviour. There is a need to understand children's physical activity preferences in order to make physical play more enjoyable to them, and this may encourage participation and a more positive relationship with physical activity. To date, little research has incorporated the perspectives of young children on this topic. This study specifically examines (a) what activities preschool children prefer; and (b) what children consider to be barriers and facilitators to participating in their preferred activity. Methods The authors employed visual methodologies to explore the activity preferences of 29 preschool children. Children were asked to draw their preferred activities and answer a series of open and closed questions about their drawing and what they think are the barriers and facilitators to participating in this activity. Results Participants expressed a desire to play unstructured activities with friends or family, to engage in imaginative, challenging play, as well as the opportunity to have control over the activity they engage in. Children reported that rules at home and at preschool, the availability of toys, friends and family and having access to a natural environment served as both barriers and facilitators to participating in their favourite activity. Conclusions Listening to children's voices about their play preferences and the barriers and facilitators to engaging in these activities provides important insight into children's play behaviour and the promotion of active play in early childhood. Participants’ desire for more natural features within their play environment and for challenging, unstructured and imaginative play may be considered as facilitators of their engagement in physical activity. So what? The current findings suggest the incorporation of unstructured playtime within natural environments could support young children's participation in and increased enjoyment of physical activity.

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The impact of children's perception of an activity as play rather than not play on emotional well‐being

Cited by 71 publications

References 17 publications

Play in Middle Childhood: Everyday Play Behaviour and Associated Emotions

Play in Middle Childhood: Everyday Play Behaviour and Associated Emotions

A Web-Based Programme for Person-Centred Learning and Support Designed for Preschool Children with Long-Term Illness: A Pilot Study of a New Intervention

“It's like you are in the jungle”: Using the draw‐and‐tell method to explore preschool children's play preferences and factors that shape their active play

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