Symbolic play: mother and child behaviours

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to examine the symbolic play behaviours of the child and mother at home and to determine how the mother participated when playing with her child. The study included 19 mothers and their children with 24–36 months old children from Turkey. The symbolic play that the mother and child played together in their home environment was recorded in the video for 12 min. As a result of the research, it was determined that mothers involved in the play ‘involved director’ most, and no mothers were involved in the category of ‘uninvolved’.

KEYWORDS:

• Symbolic play
• non-symbolic play
• maternal involvement
• symbolic representation
• mother–child interaction
• home environment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ayşe Belgin Aksoy

Ayşe Belgin Aksoy graduated from Hacettepe University, Depatment of Child Development and Education in 1983. She received her “master” degree from Hacettepe University, Child Development and Education Program in 1986 and “PhD” in Child Health and Education in 1992. In 2006, she became an associate professor and in 2016 she became a professor in the Department of Child Development and Education at Gazi University. She is currently working in Department of Preschool Education at Gazi University in Turkey. She has works in the fields of Family Education, Child and Adolescent Development, and Children‘s Play Development.

Hurşide Kübra Özkan Kunduracı

Hurşide Kübra Özkan Kunduracı after graduating from Department of Preschool Teaching at Anadulu University in 2008, she worked as a teacher in schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education between 2008-2014. She completed her master degree at Gazi University Child Development and Education Program in 2013-2015. In 2015, she started PhD in the Child Development and Education program at Gazi University, Institute of Educational Sciences. She continues to work as a research assistant in the same department. She has works in the fields of Family Education, Drama Education, and Children’s Play Development.

Merve Aksoy

Merve Aksoy in 2013, she graduated from Middle East Technical University, Department of Early Childhood Education with a high degree. She worked as a Preschool Teacher between 2013 and 2015. She has been working as a Research Assistant at Gazi University, Department of Child Development and Education since 2016. At the same time, she graduated from Gazi University, Child Development and Education Master Program and continues her PhD.