Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Links Between Preschool Children’s Social Skills and Observed Pretend Play in Outdoor Childcare Environments

  • Published:
Early Childhood Education Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As one of the most advanced play forms in childhood, pretend play often demonstrates positive associations with children’s development. However, results from research that examines the association between social skills and pretend play are mixed, especially when the complexity of pretend play is taken into account. Moreover, few studies on pretend play are conducted in outdoor environments; a setting which affords many opportunities for engagement in pretend play and unstructured social interactions. By observing children’s outdoor pretend play, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between different types of pretend play and children’s social skills. Twenty-eight children from high quality childcare centers in a southeast suburban area were observed during outdoor free play time. Using a reliable time sampling protocol, each child’s play was observed and recorded for a total of 45 min to an hour over a 2-week time period. Lead teachers rated children’s social skills in the areas of cooperation, self-control, and assertiveness. Results showed high amounts of pretend play behavior overall, and differential relationships between the type of pretend play children engaged in and children’s social skills. Surprisingly, these relationships were not associated with gender. Findings are discussed in light of the value of pretend play to promote social skill development and the potential for outdoor contexts specifically to encourage these play behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Änggård, E. (2011). Children’s gendered and non-gendered play in natural spaces. Children Youth and Environments, 21(2), 5–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bretherton, I. (1989). Pretense: The form and function of make-believe play. Developmental Review, 9(4), 383–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connolly, J. (1988). Social pretend play and social interaction in preschoolers. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 9(3), 301–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connolly, J. A., & Doyle, A. B. (1984). Relation of social fantasy play to social competence in preschoolers. Developmental Psychology, 20(5), 797–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Lorimier, S., Doyle, A.-B., & Tessier, O. (1995). Social coordination during pretend play: Comparisons with nonpretend play and effects on expressive content. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41(4), 497–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeBord, K., Hestenes, L., Moore, R. C., Cosco, N. G., & McGinnis, J. R. (2005). Preschool outdoor environment measurement scale. Winston Salem, NC: Kaplan Early Learning Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derry, P. A., & Stone, G. L. (1979). Effects of cognitive-adjunct treatments on assertiveness. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 3(2), 213–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, A. B., & Connolly, J. (1989). Negotiation and enactment in social pretend play: Relations to social acceptance and social cognition. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 4(3), 289–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, A. B., Doehring, P., Tessier, O., de Lorimier, S., & Shapiro, S. (1992). Transitions in children’s play: A sequential analysis of states preceding and following social pretense. Developmental Psychology, 28(1), 137–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Early, D. M., Iruka, I. U., Ritchie, S., Barbarin, O. A., Winn, D.-M. C., Crawford, G. M., et al. (2010). How do pre-kindergarteners spend their time? Gender, ethnicity, and income as predictors of experiences in pre-kindergarten classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25(2), 177–193. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.10.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisler, R. M., Frederiksen, L. W., & Peterson, G. L. (1978). The relationship of cognitive variables to the expression of assertiveness. Behavior Therapy, 9(3), 419–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fein, G. G. (1981). Pretend play in childhood: An integrative review. Child Development, 52(4), 1095–1118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galyer, K. T., & Evans, I. M. (2001). Pretend play and the development of emotion regulation in preschool children. Early Child Development and Care, 166(1), 93–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gleason, T. R. (2005). Mothers’ and fathers’ attitudes regarding pretend play in the context of imaginary companions and of child gender. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 51(4), 412–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, P. (2011). The decline of play and the rise of psychopathology in children and adolescents. American Journal of Play, 3(4), 443–463.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (1990). Social skills rating system. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, J., & Russ, S. (2012). Pretend play, creativity, and emotion regulation in children. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 6(2), 175–184. doi:10.1037/a0026299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howes, C., Unger, O., & Matheson, C. C. (1992). The collaborative construction of pretend: Social pretend play functions. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, J. E., & Ershler, J. (1981). Developmental trends in preschool play as a function of classroom program and child gender. Child Development, 52(3), 995–1004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A., & Glenn, S. M. (1991). Gender differences in pretend play in a primary school group. Early Child Development and Care, 77(1), 127–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kendall, P. C., & Braswell, L. (1982). Cognitive-behavioral self-control therapy for children: A components analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50(5), 672–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kyttä, M. (2004). Children in outdoor contexts: Affordances and independent mobility in the assessment of environmental child friendliness. Helsinki University of Technology. Retrieved from http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2003/isbn9512268736/.

  • Lillard, A. S., Pinkham, A., & Smith, E. D. (2011). Pretend play and cognitive development. In U. Goswami (Ed.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of childhood cognitive development (pp. 285–311). Chichester, England: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindsey, E. W., & Colwell, M. J. (2013). Pretend and physical play: Links to preschoolers’ affective social competence. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 59(3), 330–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, W. S. (1977). Modes of transformation in the initiation of fantasy play. Developmental Psychology, 13(3), 212–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLoyd, V. C. (1980). Verbally expressed modes of transformation in the fantasy play of black preschool children. Child Development, 51(4), 1133–1139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Ungerer, J., & Sherman, T. (1987). Nonverbal communication and play correlates of language development in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 17(3), 349–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, B. L., Russ, S. W., & Spannagel, S. A. C. (2008). Pretend play and positive psychology: Natural companions. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(2), 110–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood. New York, NY: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, K. H. (1982). Nonsocial play in preschoolers: Necessarily evil? Child Development, 53(3), 651–657. doi:10.2307/1129376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russ, S. W., Robins, A. L., & Christiano, B. A. (1999). Pretend play: Longitudinal prediction of creativity and affect in fantasy in children. Creativity Research Journal, 12(2), 129–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N., & Spodek, B. (1998). Multiple perspectives on play in early childhood education. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shim, S. K., Herwig, J. E., & Shelley, M. (2001). Preschoolers’ play behaviors with peers in classroom and playground settings. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15(2), 149–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Söderström, M., Boldemann, C., Sahlin, U., Mårtensson, F., Raustorp, A., & Blennow, M. (2013). The quality of the outdoor environment influences children’s health—A cross-sectional study of preschools. Acta Paediatrica, 102(1), 83–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Susa, A. M., & Benedict, J. O. (1994). The effects of playground design on pretend play and divergent thinking. Environment and Behavior, 26(4), 560–579. doi:10.1177/001391659402600405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swindells, D., & Stagnitti, K. (2006). Pretend play and parents’ view of social competence: The construct validity of the child-initiated pretend play assessment. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 53(4), 314–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vagos, P., & Pereira, A. (2010). A proposal for evaluating cognition in assertiveness. Psychological Assessment, 22(3), 657–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitington, V., & Floyd, I. (2009). Creating intersubjectivity during socio-dramatic play at an Australian kindergarten. Early Child Development and Care, 179(2), 143–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 27402-6170, USA

    Jiayao Li, Linda L. Hestenes & Yudan C. Wang

Authors
  1. Jiayao Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Linda L. Hestenes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yudan C. Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiayao Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, J., Hestenes, L.L. & Wang, Y.C. Links Between Preschool Children’s Social Skills and Observed Pretend Play in Outdoor Childcare Environments. Early Childhood Educ J 44, 61–68 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0673-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0673-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation