Parents' Perceptions of Play: A Comparative Study of Spousal Perspectives

Play is essential for growth and learning during early childhood. However, the current focus on academics in preschool education has resulted in less emphasis placed on play as a learning tool. In the current study, parents' value of play was investigated. Parent gender, child gender, and child age were examined as potential influences on parents' value of play. Participants included 38 mothers and 38 fathers of preschool-aged children. Parents completed surveys about the value of play (play support) and the value of academic activities (academic focus). Results indicated that mothers rated play support higher than fathers. In addition, child age was negatively associated with parents' ratings of play support, and the relation between child age and academic focus differed by child gender. The findings suggest that parents in this study perceive play as valuable, but these perceptions change as children approach formal schooling.