Transitions in adult-child interactions during playful and formal practice conditions.

Play is a central component of early years curriculum across the UK and beyond. In the UK, Scotland, Wales and England have separate curricula, however each emphasises the importance of play within children’s early educational experience. Definitions of play foreground children’s own choice and control in determining what and how they play. Consequently an important question arises in terms of how practitioners can fulfil their role as educators. when children take the lead in their own learning. Practitioners are advised to participate and ‘intervene appropriately’ in children’s play however, there is limited research evidence demonstrating how adult interaction impacts on children’s play. research suggests that practitioners themselves are unsure about what constitutes appropriate interaction (Pramling-Samulesson and Johansson, 2009). Our research demonstrates that adult involvement in children’s play has a significant impact on children’s performance and behaviour. Children who have practised tasks under playful; rather than formal conditions demonstrate significantly greater improvements in performance on various problem solving tasks. The children get better at the tasks when an adult is not with them. Children who practice activities without an adult present are more focused, less distracted and make less requests for support, behaviours which persist when there is a transition to a situation where an adult is present. Details of these findings will be presented and implications for practice considered.