Influences of Play on the Emotional Development of Early Childhood Education of Children Between 3 to 5 in Model Learning Samaru, Zaria
Chapter One
Abstract
Play is an essential part of children’s daily life and it promotes all round child development. Children develop physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually through play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of play on emotional development of preschoolers in Model learning samaru zaria. Four research questions were formulated to guide the study. These were; to determine whether the availability of play materials influence children’s emotional development, to investigate how time allocation for play in pre schools affect emotional development in children, to establish whether the presence of the teacher or caregiver in children’s play affect children’s emotional development and lastly, to investigate how different types of play promote emotional skills development. The study employed a descriptive survey design which is used in preliminary and exploratory studies to allow researchers to gather information, summarize, present and interpret for the purpose of clarification. The population included 20 teachers, 250 children and 200 parents all residing in Samaru zaria. The sample for the study was selected using stratified random technique and simple random technique, to involve both the public and the private pre schools. Questionnaires and Observation Checklist were used to collect data. The researcher conducted a pilot study in order to pre test the instruments just before the actual data collection. Additionally, in order to test the validity, items in the questionnaire were checked against the research objectives while reliability was checked through test re-test method. Before collection of any data from the respondents, an authorization letter was obtained from the university. After data collection, there was cross examination to ascertain their accuracy, and then frequencies and percentages was used to present the data. It was also established that there was a strong positive correlation between Availability of play materials and social skills development of children in pre-schools and that the availability of play materials influence emotional development significantly, there was a significant association between play time and children emotional development, there was a strong positive correlation between presence of the teacher in children’s play and children’s social emotional skills development and there is a strong positive correlation between play type and children’s social emotional skills development. The researcher recommended that the schools should provide more varieties of play material to pre- school children as this was likely to improve their social skills and emotional development, the ministry of Education should allow more time for outdoor and play activities in the pre-school timetable so as to expose the children to play more, the pre- school teachers should always be near the children during play so as to motivate the children and also protect them from dangerous play and that the pre-schools should increase the play varieties so as to motivate the children to enjoy playing
Chapter one
Introduction
Background of the study
Nurturing the emotional development of children since their early years plays an important role for parents, teachers and caregivers. Emerging emotional skills in early childhood stage is more important than their social and emotional competence in later stages (Denham & Burton, 2003). According to the findings of Tan and Dobbs-Oates (2013), there is a significant correlation between the emotional development in preschool children and their emergent literacy. Children need a level of socio-emotional development which allows them to regulate their behavior and emotions (Aquino et al., 2019). These developments in early childhood stage help with the establishment of their personality and personal character in the future (Zakaria et al., 2021). Therefore, the emotional development of children needs to be nurtured, particularly during the preschool years.
Play is so important to optimal child’s emotional development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (2006) as a right of every child. This birth right is threatened by forces including child labour and exploitation practices, war and neighborhood violence and limited resources available to children living in poverty. However, even these children who are fortunate enough to have abundant available resources and who live in relative peace may not be receiving the full benefits of play. Since every child deserves the opportunity to develop to their unique potential, child caregivers should consider all factors that interfere with optimal development and press for circumstances that allow each child to fully reap the advantages associated with play (Bell &Wolfe, 2004)
Those forces that prevent children in poverty and the working class from benefitting fully from play deserve full and urgent attention. The overriding premise is that play (or some available free time in the case of older children and adolescents) is essential to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and youth (Eccles &Templeton, 2002). Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity and physical, cognitive and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a worldthey can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers. As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resilience that they will need to face future challenges (Hurwitz, 2003)
Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, share, negotiate, resolve conflicts, and learn self-advocacy skills. When play is allowed to be child-driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue. Burdette & Whitaker (2005) observes that play is a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood. Children’s trajectory is critically mediated by appropriate, effective relationships with loving and consistent caregivers as they relate to children through play (Shonkoff &Phillips, 2000).When parents observe their children in play or join them in child-driven play, they are given a unique opportunity to see the World from their child’s vintage point as the child navigates a world perfectly created just to fit his/her needs.
The Geneva Declaration on the Rights of Children (1986) recognizes play activities in pre-school as a vital activity in developing children’s social skills. Following this declaration, the curriculum developers declared in the national goals of education that play promotes individual social skills and self-fulfillment where it provides opportunities for the fullest development of individual talents and personal development. Guidelines states that education enables children to enjoy living and learning through play (Republic of Kenya, 2008)
Piaget (1962) feels that play has a primary role in the child’s development; he placed emphasis on play as a factor in the child’s responses to the social development. More specifically, play interactions helped children understand that other players have perspectives different than their own. Play, for Piaget, provides children with opportunities to develop social competence through ongoing interactions
Despite the numerous benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for play has been markedly reduced for some children (Shankoff & Philiphs, 2000).This trend has even affected preschool children, who have had free play reduced in their schedules to make room for more academics. Currently, many school children are given less free time and fewer physical outlets at school. Many schools have reduced time committed to recess, creative arts, and even physical education in an effort to focus on reading and mathematics. This change may have implications on children’s ability to store new information, because children’s cognitive capacity is enhanced by a clear-cut and significant change in activity. A change in academic instructions or class topic doesnot offer this clear-cut change in cognitive and social effort and certainly does not offer a physical release (Burdette & Whitaker, 2005).
A formal structured physical education class may not offer the same benefits as free-play recess. Reduced time for physical activity may be contributing to the discordant academic abilities between boys and girls, because schools that promote sedentary styles of learning become a more difficult environment for boys to navigate successfully (Mahoney et al, 2006)
Some children are given less time for exploratory play as they are hurried to adapt into adult roles and prepare for their future at early ages. Parents are receiving carefully marketed messages that good parents expose their children to every opportunity to excel, buy a plethora of enrichment tools, and ensure their children participate in a wide variety of activities (Rosenfeld &Wise, 2000). Free child-driven play is decreased, and the down time that allows parents and children some of the most productive time for interaction is at a premium when schedules become highly packed with adult supervised or adult- driven activities. It is left to parents to judge appropriate levels of involvement, but many parents seem to feel as though they are running on a treadmill to keep up yet dare not show their pace for fear their children will fall behind. In addition, some worry they will not be acting as proper parents if they do not participate in this hurried lifestyle (Eccles & Templeton, 2002)
Samaru zaria, preschool children are facing numerous challenges associated with play, even though many children are motivated to attend school by the thought of meeting and playing with their peers, the question of play materials, time to play, and teachersinvolvement in their play still arise, since most schools in Samaru zaria are not keen on purchasing play materials for children, hence these little ones are left on their own innovations and creations of play materials which may not be very appealing, but due to the urgency to play, they still use them. Most time in our preschools is spend indoors, and children only go outdoors for a few minutes either to take their meals or visit the washrooms, this teachers have argued that it enables them cover the course work and put emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills, which are vital for the children’s academic excellence. It is against this background that the current study intends to establish whether play influences social and emotional development of children
Statement of the problem
Samaru zaria, majority of schools host a large number of children such that the playing fields are overstretched. Most of these fields are open grounds with no facilities that these children can play with. Additionally, private pre-schools have been developed in residential and rental houses, where these houses have been turned into classrooms, with little or no space for children to play. There are also cases where these pre-schools do not have play materials for children. In other cases too, majority of teachers do not accompany their children to play. Instead, children are left to play on their own without teachers or caregiver’s supervision. Due to pressure and rigidity of the curriculum, play time has been slashed down to enable syllabus coverage. Worse still, a number of teachers are reportedly using the strategy of denying children time for play, in order to complete assignments, or as a way of punishment. They have forgotten the English saying that goes “all work without play makes Jack a dull boy” and it is not only John here who gets dull, but the entire class. These issues have raised a lot of concern to the researcher as to whether they have any impact on these children’s social and emotional development or not.
The recent report from head teachers, class teachers and parents of children in schools in Samaru zaria indicates that these children have been exhibiting increased learning difficulties, inability to solve simple problems associated with socialization and control of emotions, many cases of truancy, dropping out of school and aggressive behavior, compounded with total lack of interest towards learning. Additionally, however hard the teachers try to keep these young ones in classes to concentrate on formal lessons, the little the progress posted, with many teachers and parents complaining that the children have increasingly become unable and unwilling to participate in challenging tasks. It is also evident that these children are always constantly fatigued and lack the agility and peer group popularity and have become over dependent .These children are also showing signs of not engaging in socially appropriate behavior. The issues enumerated have raised a lot of concerns to the researcher as to whether they have any effect on social and emotional development of skills in children or not
Purpose of the study
The aim of the study is to ascertain the influences of play on the emotional development of early childhood education of children between 3 to 5 in Model learning samaru zaria. The specific objectives are;
- To determine whether the availability of play materials influence children’s emotional development in Model learning Samaru Zaria.
- To investigate how time allocation for play in preschools affect emotional development of children in Model learning Samaru Zaria.
- To establish whether the presence of the teacher in children’s play affects children’s emotional development in Model learning Samaru Zaria.
- To investigate how different types of play promote emotional skills development
Research Questions
The following research questions are formualted to guide the study;
- How does availability of play materials influence children’s emotional development in Model learning Samaru Zaria?
- In which way does time allocation for play in a preschool situation affect children’s emotional development in Model learning Samaru Zaria?
- How does the presence of the teacher in the children’s play affect children’s emotional development in Model learning Samaru Zaria?
- To what extent do different types of play affect children’s emotional development in Model learning Samaru Zaria?
Significance of the study
The findings of this study will be important in different ways. First, the findings will be important to the curriculum developers in evaluating the curriculum and putting emphasis on children play together with allocating more time in the timetable for children to play. Early childhood education teachers will also benefit by understanding the different ways in which play influences children’s acquisition of social skills.
The school administrators will be able to identify the importance of child play hence provide adequate facilities for the same. Teachers will also benefit from this study as the findings will necessitate in-service courses to train them in different types of play that promote social skills. Non-governmental organizations, churches and the community also learnt their role in play, by providing for children’s playing materials in support of play to promote social skills among preschool children.
Scope of the study
The scope of the study covers the influences of play on the emotional development of early childhood education of children between 3 to 5 in Model learning samaru zaria. The study will be limited to selected nursery and primary schools in Samaru Zaria
Definiton of terms
Child –A human being biologically between the period of birth and puberty also referred to as a minor.
Play – Children’s daily behavior and activities which promote their social skills.
Emotional development- The child’s growing ability to regulate and control emotions and to form secure and fulfilling relationships.
Skills – The behavior that a child learns after engaging in certain activity.
Peer –A person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person.
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