A Pleasurable And Educational Preschool Observation
A Pleasurable and Educational Preschool Observation: Option E
I observed a 4 year old preschool class during playtime in Staten Island, New York. The class consisted of eight children, and one certified preschool teacher. There were 4 boys and 4 girls in the class. During my sixty minute observation I noticed several instances of dramatic play, peer relationships, relationships with adults, and self-control.
Dramatic Play
During my observation, I witnessed a group of two- one boy and one girl-playing house. According to Hutchinson (2011) children often use playing house as an opportunity to explore reality and their social roles based on adult behavior. The two children that I observed explored reality and their social roles as they pretended to eat dinner together as family. The pair even took it a step further as they included doll babies to play as their children.
As the children played house, the girl cooked dinner and the boy sat at the table waiting for dinner to be ready. As the boy waited for dinner to be ready, he got up, walked around as if he was looking for something and came back with two baby dolls and told the girl, “here they can sit next to you”. The boy had assigned the girl a perceived female role, to be the mother and care for the baby. While the girl had assigned herself a female role, to cook for the male. Therefore, the boy was automatically assigned a perceived male role, to wait for the female to finish cooking so he could eat. The pair’s dramatic play demonstrates how children begin to understand standard gender roles and play accordingly during early childhood (Hutchinson, 2011).
This play interaction was not gender segregated. This non-gender segregated play is a good example of how children play based on their gender. Although, many young children prefer to play with same sex mates, I believe this was not the case because the pair felt playing house required a female and male to fit the correct gender roles. I also believe that
I observed a 4 year old preschool class during playtime in Staten Island, New York. The class consisted of eight children, and one certified preschool teacher. There were 4 boys and 4 girls in the class. During my sixty minute observation I noticed several instances of dramatic play, peer relationships, relationships with adults, and self-control.
Dramatic Play
During my observation, I witnessed a group of two- one boy and one girl-playing house. According to Hutchinson (2011) children often use playing house as an opportunity to explore reality and their social roles based on adult behavior. The two children that I observed explored reality and their social roles as they pretended to eat dinner together as family. The pair even took it a step further as they included doll babies to play as their children.
As the children played house, the girl cooked dinner and the boy sat at the table waiting for dinner to be ready. As the boy waited for dinner to be ready, he got up, walked around as if he was looking for something and came back with two baby dolls and told the girl, “here they can sit next to you”. The boy had assigned the girl a perceived female role, to be the mother and care for the baby. While the girl had assigned herself a female role, to cook for the male. Therefore, the boy was automatically assigned a perceived male role, to wait for the female to finish cooking so he could eat. The pair’s dramatic play demonstrates how children begin to understand standard gender roles and play accordingly during early childhood (Hutchinson, 2011).
This play interaction was not gender segregated. This non-gender segregated play is a good example of how children play based on their gender. Although, many young children prefer to play with same sex mates, I believe this was not the case because the pair felt playing house required a female and male to fit the correct gender roles. I also believe that
References: Balaban, N., Brodkin, A. M., David, J., Drucker, J., Feder-Feitel, L., & Greenberg, P. (2002). A Great Start To School. Scholastic Parent & Child, 10(1), 40-45. Harper, Lawrence V & McCluskey, Karen S. (2003). Teacher-child and child-child interactions in inclusive preschool settings: Do adults inhibit peer interactions? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18, 163-184. doi:10.1016/S0885-2006%2803%2900025-5 Hutchison, E. (2011). Early Childhood. In Dimensions of human behavior: The Changing Life Course (4th ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE. Kirkorian, H., Wartella, E., & Anderson, D. (2008). Media And Young Children 's Learning. The Future of Children, 18(1), 39-61. Garvery, C. (1990). Play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.