ABSTRACT

This project explores children’s engagement in play activities and how caregivers supported their children’s play during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our sample included six primary caregivers (five mothers and one father) of at least one child attending a private, child learning centre in the northeastern United States. Child participants (four boys and one girl) ranged in age between 19 months and five years and five months. Caregivers completed journals that contained children's play activities for a two-week period as well as an open-ended survey (13 questions) that addressed caregiver perceptions of their children’s play, communication with the child’s learning centre staff, and the form of children's play. We found caregivers supported their children's play and were frequent play partners; children played indoors and outdoors; learning centres provided caregivers with useful information and activities; and play helped both children and caregivers cope with the stressors associated with the social isolation due to COVID-19 protocols.

摘要

该项目探讨了儿童参与游戏活动的情况，以及在 COVID-19 大流行期间看护者如何支持孩子的游戏。我们的样本包括在美国东北部一家私立儿童学习中心就读的至少一名儿童的六名主要照顾者（五名母亲和一名父亲）。儿童参与者（四名男孩和一名女孩）的年龄在 19 个月到五岁零五个月之间。看护者完成了包含儿童为期两周的游戏活动的日志以及一项开放式调查（13 个问题），该调查涉及看护者对孩子游戏的看法、与儿童学习中心工作人员的沟通以及儿童游戏的形式。我们发现看护者支持孩子的游戏，并且经常是游戏伙伴；孩子们在室内和室外玩耍；学习中心为看护者提供有用的信息和活动；游戏帮助儿童和看护者应对因 COVID-19 协议而导致的社会孤立带来的压力源。