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Preschool Children’s Pretend and Physical Play and Sex of Play Partner: Connections to Peer Competence

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Abstract

This study was designed to examine associations between preschool children’s pretend and physical play with same-sex, other-sex, and mixed sex peers and children’s social competence with peers. Sixty predominately middle-class preschoolers (33 boys, 51 European-American) were observed on the playground at their school over a period of 4 months. Children’s same-sex, other-sex, and mixed-sex peer play was observed, and teachers and peers provided assessments of children’s social competence. Analyses revealed that children who engaged in more same-sex pretend play were better liked by peers and were viewed by teachers as being socially competent. In addition, girls who engaged in same-sex exercise play and boys who engaged in same-sex rough-and-tumble play were better liked by peers, whereas boys who engaged in rough-and-tumble play with other-sex peers were less liked by peers. The results suggest that child gender and gender of playmate are important factors in the association between pretend play and rough-and-tumble play and children’s social competence with peers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

    Malinda J. Colwell & Eric W. Lindsey

  2. Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 41162, Lubbock, Texas, 79409

    Eric W. Lindsey

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  1. Malinda J. Colwell
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  2. Eric W. Lindsey
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Correspondence to Eric W. Lindsey.

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Colwell, M.J., Lindsey, E.W. Preschool Children’s Pretend and Physical Play and Sex of Play Partner: Connections to Peer Competence. Sex Roles 52, 497–509 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-3716-8

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