classroom images and play

“One of the most common elements of childhood across cultures is play” (Rettig, 1995, p.1). Have you ever wondered how can you incorporate meaningful play into your work with children that encompasses the different cultural backgrounds of your students? In this discussion, we will look at play around the world and discuss how we can encompass a global view of play in our work with young children. To begin, view the photo story below that shares some beautiful images of children around the world playing.

Children Playing Around the World (Links to an external site.)

Next, choose one of the articles below to read:

• Option 1: Perspectives of play in three nations: A comparative study in Japan, the United States, and Sweden (Links to an external site.)
• Option 2: Play in the kindergarten: the case of Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and Japan (the full-text version of this article can be accessed through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library).
• Option 3: Child and Mother Play in Three U.S. Cultural Groups: Comparisons and Associations (the full-text version of this article can be accessed through the PsycARTICLES database in the Ashford University Library).

Initial Post: Based on your textbook, photo story, and article (from the table above), address the following:

• Synthesize your view of play around the world using at least two scholarly sources.
• Examine how different cultures view the role that play should have when it comes to the early childhood classroom by providing at least one example.
• Discuss how cultural values regarding play fit within Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (Figure 1.3 in the text) and how it influences child development and play. Include at least one evidenced-based and developmentally appropriate strategy that can be used in the classroom to explain your thinking.
• Analyze how family involvement in play differs by culture and explain how can you support these differences as a leader in the field of early childhood education.
• Explain at least two conclusions can you draw about the influences of culture and family support on children’s play.