Parents Perspectives on Preschool Children's Play

Presenter Information

Sadie Elsenpeter, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Peyton Stutelberg, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Alyssa Watkins, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Monica Muth, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Hannah Johnson, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

2-4-2019 2:00 PM

End Date

2-4-2019 3:30 PM

Student's Major

Family Consumer Science

Student's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Mentor's Name

Heather Von Bank

Mentor's Department

Family Consumer Science

Mentor's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Description

Preschool-aged children want to explore the outdoors, play with their friends and take risks. However, parents' perspectives about play may impact children's access to different types of play. This study focuses on the ways that parents' perspectives and behaviors influence their children's access to playful activities. Parents of 3-5-year-old children participated in an online survey which inquired about their perspectives on different types of play (i.e. dramatic, exploratory, risky), if they encouraged or discouraged their child to engage in these forms of play, and why. Other factors analyzed in this study include the gender of the child and parent, the parent's marital status (i.e single or partnered), and the number of children who live in the household. This study seeks to discover parents' perspectives on play, how their view shapes their behaviors to allow children to play in a variety of ways. Results will shed light on how parents of young children view play and their willingness to allow their children to explore, discover and take risks.