Adult play guidance and children's play development in a narrative play-world

Abstract

In this article, we present an innovative approach to adult participation in children’s play development. Our theoretical background is based on Vygotsky’s play concept, but we claim that adult play guidance is important and carries out different functions from one to seven years of age. We propose that an adult’s minimal role in moving the boundaries of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is connected to failures of participation in joint play. Adults have to become genuine partners in children’s play and must use appropriate narrative methods in order to create the ZPD for children. Based on the analysis of our data, we will describe the strategy for joint interaction and define the steps of adult intervention in children’s play. We will discuss how essential it is for university courses on child development to include active participation by students in the study of children’s play.