The Development of Young Children's Constructive Play: An Analysis of Block Play

3, 4, 5세 아동의 구성놀이 발달에 관한 연구 : 놀이의 질에 대한 분석

The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of the constructive play of 3, 4 and 5 year-old children. The researchers used unit blocks as the instrument because they are the most representative examples of constructive play materials. The subjects were 73 children enrolled in a half-day early childhood education program. The children's block play was videotaped 8 times, for a total of 330 minutes. The videotapes were transcribed and assessments were made on the children's 233 constructions in terms of the developmental stage of block play, the variety of materials used, play duration, and play intensity. The data were analyzed through two-way ANOVA to check age and sex differences. The results showed that children's developmental stages of block play were low on the average and that girls did not show an active interest in block play. The results also implied that block play developed by play experience rather than by age. Therefore, this study was interpreted to highlight the importance of teachers' understanding, planning, and mediation of block play in order to induce high-quality constructive play.