The Role of Play at Home and in Kindergarten and Grade One: Parents’ Perceptions

Abstract

This paper reports results of a survey of 208 parents and grandparents of children who attend kindergarten and grade one in northern rural communities in one Canadian province. Participants, whose education ranged from elementary school to university degrees, described play as an enjoyable physical activity involving running and being outdoors, and agreed that children are learning when they play. Our findings contrast with those of previous research, where parents’ valuing of play as a learning activity correlated positively only with higher education levels.