Poster #19 - Pretend Play in an Evolving Family Context: A Longitudinal Mixed-Method Analysis

• In Event: Poster Session 18

Abstract

Pretend play is a hallmark experience of childhood (Haight et al., 1999), supporting social, cognitive, and emotional development (Yogman et al., 2018). Yet, children’s play opportunities have declined in the past few decades, being replaced with structured, adult-directed activities or screen time (Tandon et al., 2012). Importantly, this literature originates prior to drastic lifestyle changes initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Families were confined to their homes resulting in more time spent together (Achterberg et al., 2021) and parental supervision of remote learning (Carlson et al., 2021). This close observation of children’s activities may have influenced parents’ ideas about child development (Toran et al., 2021), including the role of play in learning, which could ultimately change the playful opportunities parents prioritize. Our goal was to understand children’s play in this evolving family context. Using mixed methods, we examined families’ play routines and parents’ attitudes towards play since the pandemic. Notably, we aggregated longitudinal data, generating a more comprehensive picture of children’s play today than is possible with traditional cross-sectional designs.
Parents (N=27) of 3 to 5-year-olds completed surveys and daily reports from August 2021 to January 2022. Parents completed a preliminary survey regarding their attitudes toward pretend play (Gleason, 2005). Then, each Saturday for 14 weeks, parents completed a daily report documenting the amount of time their child engaged in specific activities (play, organized activities, school, etc.) and providing a qualitative summary of their child’s day.
Preliminary analyses highlight positive attitudes toward pretense. Most parents (66.67%) would not mind if their child was pretending in various social situations, like at a restaurant or when close friends were over. Adults were the most frequent pretend play partners (Figure 1); were minimally frustrated by the amount of time spent pretending with their children (M=1.41 of 4; SD= 0.62); and received some enjoyment from participating (M=2.93 of 4; SD= 0.77). On average, children played more than they used technology or attended organized activities; pretend play comprised the majority of play hours (Figure 2). Early qualitative analyses (Braun & Clarke, 2006) show children enacting popular media characters, animals, family roles, or specific jobs (i.e., doctor). Similar to previous research, parents acknowledge play as important for development (Fisher et al., 2008), but are concerned about children’s distinction between reality and fantasy. Additional findings will be presented as results are finalized.
This study furthers our understanding of children’s play opportunities in an evolving world. Results are consistent with existing research on play in the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting high amounts of both pretend play and technology use (Kourti et al., 2021). Importantly, much existing research is cross-sectional and was collected early in the pandemic when changes happened often (Kourti et al., 2021); we fill this gap by longitudinally examining families’ routines well after pandemic onset, presumably after families have reached a ‘new normal’. Finally, these data contradict the idea that children’s opportunities for play are decreasing (Tandon et al., 2012); post-pandemic, children play and use technology at similar rates, suggesting parents may prioritize play more than before.

Authors

• Alaina Wilson, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Presenting Author

• Shannon E Dier, University of Missouri - Columbia

• María Fernanda Rueda-Posada, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen, University of Missouri - Columbia