Observing Young Children's Rough-and-Tumble Play

Abstract

THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATED THE rough-and-tumble play of 17 five-year-old children in two early childhood settings. The study resulted in an increased understanding of the forms of rough-and-tumble play displayed by young children. This study demonstrates that both boys and girls are engaged in a variety of rough-and-tumble play behaviours. Twenty-seven distinct rough-and-tumble play behaviours were exhibited during the observation period. They included eight components identified as rough-and-tumble play in previous research and also 19 behaviours not previously identified as elements of such. These elements indicate pre-operational forms of rough-and-tumble play. The results of this study have implications for the understanding of child development. It suggests that rough-and-tumble play evolves as children age; that children move into more complex play behaviours as they mature.

Characteristics of indoor rough-and-tumble play (R&T) with physical contact between players in preschool

“…Conversely, by operating within a too narrow definition of social play, it is possible to ignore aspects of a given type of play that can be important for understanding the entire play behaviour. Tannock (2011) observed young children's R&T in two early childhood settings and recorded 27 different R&T behaviours that were later grouped into three categories based on common actions. All of the behaviours within the category "Physical contact between players" involved direct physical contact.…”

“…Clark and Uzzell also maintain that Gibson recognized a role for learning and development in perception and believed that we learn about the social affordances of the environment from other people. Observing the sensory action potential or affordances in the environment (e.g., perceiving play signals) and then acting upon them is, according to the theory of affordances, how children gain practical experience and develop skills through social play such as R&T. Tannock (2011), in discussing R&T in light of Piaget's development stages, stresses the importance of practical experience through play in young children's cognitive development. Gaining a cognitive understanding of social systems through R&T serves to provide many practical experiences that enhance learning, including developing and understanding social rules, social expectations and logical thinking.…”

“…According to Piaget, children aged 2-7 years would be in the preoperational stage of play where they are practicing skills that will become the elements of the next stage, concrete operational play. Concrete operational play leads to the development of games with rules (Tannock, 2011). This might suggest an ontogenetic development or sophistication of children's R&T behaviour during preschool years.…”

“…Reliable categories are needed to recognize and differentiate R&T from other types of play in preschool settings. Tannock (2011) has grouped R&T behaviours in early childhood settings into three categories based on common actions: (1) physical contact between players, (2) play behaviours in which an object is instrumental, and (3) independent physical play behaviours. In this study, R&T with physical contact between players (Tannock's category number 1) is the focus.…”

Evaluation of Games in Games and Physical Activity Course Curriculum in terms of Common Basic Skills

“…Touching an object for discovering, attempting to taste something can be thought as the first trigger of games. There are various statements about game in literature; toy, movement, effort, fantasy and role modeling (McCusker & Van Doren, 2007), rough, tumble, and rolling (Tannock, 2011), violence and offensive behaviors (Dilekmen, Ada, & Alver, 2011;Flanders, Simard, Paquette, Parent, Vitaro, Pihl, & Seguin, 2010), discharge of energy Schiller, 1954), fun (Wolff, 2000), joy of living (Badegruber, 2006;Nutku, 1998), instrument of learning (Dienstmann, 2008), social and emotional development (De Grove et al, 2012;İnan, 2003;İnan, 2005;Oktay, 1999;Onay, 2007;Önder, 1999;Pehlivan, 2005;Sevinç , 2004), interaction and association (Ruben, 1999) are the most common ones. Huizinga defines games as "older than culture" (1949, p.173) and regards it as an important instrument, which "serves as a resource for the birth of various types of culture" (İnan, Karagözoğlu, & Şimşek, 2014, p.52).…”