A Study of Play in Preschool Children: An Examination of Changes in Children's Play Behaviour during their First Year in a Kindergarten. ―Changes in the First Term―

The purpose of this research is to specify the nature of kindergarteners' behaviour during their first term. This is part of a study (which will) analyse changes in children's behaviour through the first year in kindergarten. The behaviour of 17 three-year-olds (eight boys and nine girls) was videotaped. Each child was observed 18 times for three minutes each time in random order during their first three months in kindergarten. The children's behaviour was analysed into 27 categories. In this report, the results are used to examine the type of play and the nature of interpersonal relations. 1) Type of play: Significant differences at the 1 % level were observed between each pair of the three categories parallel play, solitary play and social play. Parallel play was observed most frequently, followed by solitary play with social play the least common. Boys were found to play in parallel more than girls(at the 1 % level of significance) . 2) Interpersonal relations: Behaviour involing the teacher ( 'proximity to the teacher' , 'looking at the teacher', 'body contact', 'talking to the teacher', 'seeking attention from and seeking contact with the teacher') was observed more often than behaviour towards the other children, with a significance at the 1 % level. 3) Agressive behaviour: object conflict, rough and tumble play and automanipulation were fairly rare