• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.95-113
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• 2007

This study used qualitative methods to understand kindergarten girls' perception of block play and to devise teacher strategies for encouraging block play for girls who had not participated in block play. Results showed that girls preferred art and home-dramatic play over block play. Girls' preference not to play with blocks was based on harassment by boys and confusion about how to build with blocks and the fact that pride in block structures could not be communicated to their parents at home. Consequently, a girls-only block play area was designed with appropriate accessories along with presentation of some Polaroid pictures. Results were that girls enjoyed block play and made ingenious block structures.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.155-167
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of the constructive play of 3, 4 and 5 year-old children. The researchers used unit blocks as the instrument because they are the most representative examples of constructive play materials. The subjects were 73 children enrolled in a half-day early childhood education program. The children's block play was videotaped 8 times, for a total of 330 minutes. The videotapes were transcribed and assessments were made on the children's 233 constructions in terms of the developmental stage of block play, the variety of materials used, play duration, and play intensity. The data were analyzed through two-way ANOVA to check age and sex differences. The results showed that children's developmental stages of block play were low on the average and that girls did not show an active interest in block play. The results also implied that block play developed by play experience rather than by age. Therefore, this study was interpreted to highlight the importance of teachers' understanding, planning, and mediation of block play in order to induce high-quality constructive play.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.181-196
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• 2009

This study compared mother-toddler verbal interaction by play type (traditional play, free play, block play), and child's sex and age. Subjects were 10 boys and 10 girls ranging in age from 25- to 36-months and their mothers. An observer videotaped the children and their mothers at play in their homes. Results showed that (1) Mothers attempted more positive verbal interaction in traditional than in block play. (2) Mothers expressed more positive emotion in free than in traditional and block play. (3) Mothers more answer 'reflection' in traditional than in free play (4) Toddlers attempted more positive verbal interaction in block than in traditional and free play. (5) Toddler's positive emotion express was not distinguished by play type or by child's sex or age. (6) From 31- to 36-months's boys expressed more play situation than from 25- to 30-months' girls. This study provides groundwork for mother-toddler traditional play programs with potential for improving positive expression of emotion and language development.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.287-295
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to find out the tendency and meaning of metaphors for block play. For this purpose, responses from 165 teachers in J area day care centers were collected using sentence completion metaphors. Collected data were analyzed through a categorization process using a qualitative research method based on previous research into metaphor analysis. From the results, first, block play trends from the metaphors were classified into two categories: content of block play, and characteristics of block play. The frequency in the order for Building Value of Play was higher. For the content of block play, composition had the highest frequency for trait of block play, and the basis of growth and development had the highest frequency in the Value of Block Play category. Second, the meanings of block play metaphors are composing, expressing, imagining, pleasure, freedom, and value of block play under Category Play, which was recognized as the basis of development, emotional development, social development, and creativity. Based on the results of the study, the value and role of block play in early childhood teacher education and in-service education should be further emphasized.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.125-134
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• 2001

This study investigated children's literate behaviors in a block play area, in a block play area enriched with literacy materials, and in enriched block play with teacher intervention. The subjects were twelve 5-year-old boys who were emergent readers and writers. The results showed that literate behaviors increased in the enriched environment, compared to the non-enriched environment, and literate behaviors increased dramatically after teacher intervention in the enriched environment. The results of this study suggest that teacher intervention in block play enriched with literacy materials contributes to children's development of literacy.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.95-110
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• 2004

This research employs the grounded theory approach among various qualitative methodologies in order to reach a deep understanding of both the experiential process that children undergo in block play and the essential meaning of it. The objects of this study are 22 children(female 7, male 15) in a 5-year-old class of K kindergarten at Guro district, Seoul. The result of this research shows that first, children take pleasure in block play because of the delight and sense of accomplishment in building, the joy in demolishing, and the happiness of embracing the world through dramatic play with building structures. Second, the characteristics of children's block play are popular subject of the play, decision of the subject, impromptu transformation and elaboration of building structures, and flow of the play according to friend/non-friend relationship. Third, the implicit rules shared by children have more significant influences upon the block play than the agreed rules at the beginning of semester.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.253-272
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• 2008

This study compared mother-toddler physical interaction by play type (traditional play, free play, block play), and child's sex and age. Subjects were 10 boys and 10 girls ranging in age from 25- to 36-months and their mothers. An observer videotaped the children and their mothers at play in their homes. Results showed that (1) mothers' physical interaction was not distinguished by play type or by child's sex or age. (2) Mothers expressed more positive emotion in traditional than in block play. (3) Younger children's play interactions were more nonverbal. (4) Children expressed more positive emotions in traditional play. This study provides groundwork for mother-toddler traditional play programs with potential for improving positive expression of emotion and attachment.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.47-66
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of theme centered block play on young children's metacognition and sociality. The subjects of this research were a total of 60 five year old children from two classes in Gwangju. The average age of the subjects was 73 months. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group participated in theme centered block play activities while the control group participated in free block activities. The collected data were analyzed by t-test using the SPSS program. The results of this study were as follows: The experimental group showed significantly higher improvement than the control group in young children's metacognition and sociality. Therefor, it might be concluded that theme centered block play activities contributed to the development of metacognition and sociality of young children.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.185-192
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• 1982

The purpose of this study was to examine preschool children's participation tendency and use of play materials in imaginative play. The subjects for the study included 22 boys and girls in nursery school. These children were observed for 110-3-minutes of play behavior during free play at nursery school, especially in block area and housekeeping area. The results obtained from the study were as follows. 1. There was a significant association between paricipation tendency in imaginative play and age or sex, Boys engaged in more social imaginative play than girls, and four-year-olds engaged in more social imaginative play than three-year-olds. 2. There was sex difference in the content of imaginative play and use of play materials. That is, boys usually chose masculine kinds of toys such as block, cars, trucks, and manipulative materials. And the boys' common fantasies were about car, robert and fighting. Girls usually chose play dough, kitchen sets, and blocks and there were maines stories of family life and cooking. 3. Children preferred to use more realistic toys in imaginative plays and there were few cases of imaginative plays with no materials.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-46
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• 2014

This study investigated the proceeding patterns of constructive play with lego blocks, and the differences on the quality of constructive play and symbolic play's pretending elements. The subjects were 132 children at child care centers and kindergarten: 64 three-year-olds (36 boy, 28 girl) and 68 five-year-olds (32 boy, 36 girl). The study found three proceeding patterns in the constructive lego play. First, children engaged in constructive and symbolic play simultaneously, or they switched back and forth between symbolic and constructive play. This pattern was termed as "constructive and symbolic play simultaneously or alternatively"(type 3), and it was occurred most frequently. Secondly, children focused only on constructing structures. This pattern was termed as "constructive play only"(type 1), Thirdly, children engaged in symbolic play only after they completed building some structures. This pattern was named "symbolic play after constructive play"(type 2). The findings also indicated that children who were categorized as type 1 and 2 showed higher quality of constructive play and longer duration in play than children as type 3. Five-year-old children sustained play longer and showed higher quality in terms of elaboration, imagination, and variety (number of blocks, shape of blocks). Furthermore, children as type 3 showed a higher level of imaginative play than children as type 1 and 2, especially in terms of role, objet, and context of projection.