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Playing with Others: Head Start Children's Peer Play and Relations with Kindergarten School Competence

Natalie D Eggum-Wilkens1, Richard A Fabes1, Sherri Castle1

  • 1T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University.

Early Childhood Research Quarterly
|June 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Early Childhood Education

Background:

  • Peer play is a crucial aspect of early childhood development.
  • Understanding the impact of preschool peer interactions on later school success is important for educational interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between peer play frequency and its change over time in Head Start preschoolers.
  • To investigate the association between preschool peer play and subsequent school competence in kindergarten.

Main Methods:

  • Time-sampled observations of peer play were conducted with 264 Head Start preschoolers.
  • Latent growth models were used to analyze peer play trajectories.
  • Kindergarten teachers rated children's school competence one year after the preschool observations.

Main Results:

  • Preschool peer play was moderately frequent and increased over the academic year.
  • Higher initial levels and greater increases in peer play were linked to higher kindergarten school competence.
  • These findings indicate a positive association between peer engagement and school readiness.

Conclusions:

  • Peer play in Head Start programs may foster essential skills for adapting to formal schooling.
  • Interventions promoting peer interaction in early education settings can support children's transition to kindergarten.
  • The study underscores the significance of peer play for school success.

Keywords:
Head Startkindergarten transitionpeersplayschool competence

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