FAMILIES’ PERCEPTION ON PLAY IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTING
FAMILIES’ PERCEPTION ON PLAY IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTING

Summary/Abstract: Play has been emphasized as important for the development of children through years of research. Recently with the testing-movement emphasizing strong academics and cognitive skill, play is not always seen as important as more traditional learning for young children. This research sought to explore how families’ perceive play in the early childhood setting. Findings were that families’ perception of the role of play in the early childhood classroom did not change when measured against the age of the child or the setting for the play, school or child care. However, families’ perceptions of learning did change based on the age of their child. The younger the child, the less families were concerned about what was being learned and how skills were obtained through play- based instruction in the classroom.

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