Peer Play and Relationships in Early Childhood: International Research Perspectives (International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, 30)

This book offers a rich collection of international research narratives that reveal the qualities and value of peer play. It presents new understandings of peer play and relationships in chapters drawn from richly varied contexts that involve sibling play, collaborative peer play, and joint play with adults. The book explores social strategies such as cooperation, negotiation, playing with rules, expressing empathy, and sharing imaginary emotional peer play experiences. Its reconceptualization of peer play and relationships promotes new thinking on children's development in contemporary worlds. It shows how new knowledge generated about young children's play with peers illuminates how they learn and develop within and across communities, families, and educational settings in diverse cultural contexts. The book addresses issues that are relevant for parents, early years' professionals and academics, including the role of play in learning at school, the role of adults in self-initiated play, and the long-term impact of early friendships. The book makes clear how recent cultural differences involve digital, engineering and imaginary peer play. __The book follows a clear line of argument highlighting the importance of play-based learning and stress the importance of further knowledge of children's interaction in their context.__ __This book aims to highlight the narration of peer play, mostly leaning on a sociocultural theoretical perspective, where many chapters have a cultural-historical theoretical frame and highlight children's social situation of development.__ Polly Björk-Willén, Linköping University, Sweden Front Matter ....Pages i-x International Perspectives on Peer Play and Relationships in Early Childhood Settings (Avis Ridgway, Gloria Quiñones, Liang Li)....Pages 1-9 Long-Term Peer Play and Child Development (Pentti Hakkarinen)....Pages 11-26 Toddler and Older Peer Play: Agentic Imagination and Joyful Learning (Avis Ridgway, Liang Li, Gloria Quiñones)....Pages 27-44 Digital Peer Play: Meta-imaginary Play Embedded in Early Childhood Play-Based Settings (Marilyn Fleer)....Pages 45-59 Engineering Peer Play: A New Perspective on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Early Childhood Education (Zachary S. Gold, James Elicker)....Pages 61-75 Holding Hands: Toddlers’ Imaginary Peer Play (Gloria Quiñones, Avis Ridgway, Liang Li)....Pages 77-92 Creating and Maintaining Play Connection in a Toddler Peer Group (Annukka Pursi, Lasse Lipponen)....Pages 93-111 A Cultural-Historical Study of Digital Devices Supporting Peer Collaboration in Early Years Learning Setting in One Saudi School (Omar Sulaymani, Marilyn Fleer, Denise Chapman)....Pages 113-127 Children’s Peer Cultures and Playfulness at Mat Time (Anita Mortlock, Vanessa Green)....Pages 129-144 Meaning Construction of Rules in Peer Play: A Case Study of Block Play (Lina Sun, Yu Chen, Yue-Juan Pan, Yan-Ling Ming)....Pages 145-160 Mothers’ Attitudes Toward Peer Play (Milda Bredikyte, Monika Skeryte-Kazlauskiene)....Pages 161-177 Togetherness and Awareness: Young Children’s Peer Play (Liang Li, Mong-Lin Yu)....Pages 179-195 Looking Beyond Books and Blocks: Peers Playing Around with Concepts (Joanna Williamson, Daniel Lovatt, Helen Hedges)....Pages 197-213 Collaborative Sibling Play: Forming a Cohesive Collective While Picking Mangoes (Megan Adams)....Pages 215-231