| Play is a pervasive, meaningful activity for the young child and around the world children play with energy, focus and pleasure. For over one hundred and fifty years theorists have tried to understand play beginning with ideas about instincts, energy and evolution in the 19th century, and in the 20th century, scientific, psychodynamic, and cognitive theories. Despite hundreds of play-related studies the focus has primarily been an adult one and the voices of children themselves about the importance of play in their lives and the kinds of play spaces they prefer has seldom been documented. This study, focused on children's understandings of play, may be timely as it comes when uses of technology, adult structured activities for children, fear of traffic and other factors continue to reduce children's opportunities for unstructured self-chosen play. The research used a narrative inquiry methodology situated within the theoretical background created by Dewey (1938), Clandinin and Connelly (2000), and combining story with a reflective process of inquiry. The researcher describes her narrative play beginnings and how these experiences shaped her identity. She then spends one calendar year playing alongside and documenting preschoolers' play in a classroom in a mid-sized, Western Canadian city. While she documented the play of numerous children at the school she chose to highlight the play of six in particular, three boys and three girls. The researcher documented the children's play words and stories in a field journal, collected samples of artwork, drawing and sculpture, movement and song and encouraged children to take photographs of their play. While initially positioned on the sidelines she was invited into play alongside the children and this perspective as a player provided unique insights. A number of wonders emerged from the children's play: the frequency with which children asked to play and chose this activity over other options; how children are empowered in play; how child play shifts and progresses over time and in different locations; gender specific play; the importance of identity-making in play; the diversities of play and play styles; the active role of adults in child play; the healing power of play; how popular culture is appropriated in play scenarios; and the essential relational aspects of human play. Further, as the researcher reflexively re-visited her own play stories she was made aware of how these powerful early experiences contributed to her own identity-making, life-orientation and provided pathways to love and social connection. The study opens a space to think about how the patterns of play or play rhythms that children openly convey as preschoolers, and in particular how they socially relate to other children and adults as they play, may be important frames of reference or markers for later learning in elementary school and beyond. The inquiry also highlights the need for adults to attend to children who have difficulty interacting playfully with their peers and to assist them with this important step. Play needs to be taken seriously. The stories illuminate what the children are figuring out in their play; what theories they might be testing; and how empathy for others is expressed in their play, among other issues. The narratives told may assist educators to better understand how children's play is vital not only as it appears to lay the groundwork for identity-making but also for the development of thoughtful, caring, democratic citizens. |
