World of the rural child's play in the II Polish Republic

A rapid development of psychological and pedagogical studies, which took place at the tum of the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, increased an interest in a chiId. The consequence was a recognition of a remarkable role of pastime in children's lives and its influence on their physical and intellectual development. Although the scientific circles as well as teachers and educators were aware of the fact that children's games were not only pleasant but also useful forms of activity, they were perceived by most of the parents as signs of vanity and laziness, especially in the rural areas. A play time is an integral part of an every child's life, that is why in spite of their numerous duties, it accompanied children daily also in the country. The evidence is a big number of games and play-like activities present in memoires and memories of peasants whose childhood took place in the 20-ieth and the 30-tieth of the previous century.Wydział Pedagogiki i Psychologii, Uniwersytet w Białymstoku191-19