Role Substitution in Preschoolers’ Play with Toy Characters

This paper is a part of the research devoted to observing free play with different role-playing materials in preschool children.Here we describe the results of our observations of preschoolers’ play with toy characters (dolls, figures, soft toys, etc.).It was found that there are significant gender differences in this type of play: boys either do not play at all or play in the director’s position; at the same time, if they take on a role, they tend to ignore toy characters.As it is shown, the number of role-playing names is quite high in the children’s play with toy characters.This may reflect the specific function of this type of material in play.Among the prevailing play topics are family, home, pets, everyday life and motives of care and attention in general.Age analysis showed that the number of children with roles increases at 6 years, while at 5 years — when play is at its peak – role substitution in playing with toy characters is rather ignored by children.

1. Vygotskii L.S.Igra i ee rol’ v psikhicheskom razvitii rebenka [Play and its role in the mental development].Voprosy psikhologii = Issues of psychology, 1966, no. 6, pp.62—77.(In Russ.).
2. Doronov S.G.Pedagogicheskie usloviya aktivizatsii samostoyatel’noi syuzhetnoi igry starshikh doshkol’nikov v detskom sadu.Avtoref.diss.kand.ped.nauk.[Pedagogical conditions for activation of free narrative play for older preschoolers in kindergarten.Ph.D.(Pedagogy) Thesis].Moscow, 2012.22 p.(In Russ.).
3. Korotkova N.A.Materialy i oborudovanie dlya igrovoi deyatel’nosti [Materials and equipment for play activity].In Doronova T.N., Korotkova N.A.(eds.) Materialy i oborudovanie dlya detskogo sada: Posobie dlya vospitatelya detskogo sada [Materials for kindergarten equipment].Moscow: Elti-Kudits, 2003.160 p.(In Russ.).
4. Korotkova N.A.Syuzhetnaya igra doshkol’nikov [Narrative play of preschoolers].Moscow: LINKA-press, 2016.256 p.(In Russ.).
5. Korotkova N.S., Kirillov I.L.Maket kak element predmetnoi sredy dlya syuzhetnoi igry starshikh doshkol’nikov [A mock-up model as a subject environment for narrative play of kindergarten children].Doshkol’noe vospitanie = Preschool Education, 1997, no.6, pp.9—16.(In Russ.).
6. Kryzhov P.A.Geroi-monstr kak normal’nyi personazh proizvedenii, adresovannykh detyam [Elektronnyi resurs] [The monster hero as a normal character in artistic works addressed to children].Kul’turno-istoricheskii podkhod v sovremennoi psikhologii razvitiya: dostizheniya problemy, perspektivy.Sbornik tezisov uchastnikov shestoi vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii po psikhologii razvitiya, posvyashchennoi 80-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya professora L.F.Obukhovoi [The cultural-historical approach in modern developmental psychology: achievements, problems, prospects.Collection of abstracts of participants of the sixth all-Russian research and practice conference on developmental psychology, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the birth of Professor L.F.Obukhova].Moscow: FGBOU VO MGPPU Publ., 2018, pp.150—153.URL: https://psyjournals.ru/ obukovoi_2018/issue/ (Accessed: 11.08.2020).(In Russ.).
7. Nelson A.Igra kak oposredovannoe deistvie.Gendernyi aspekt [Gendered Toy Play as Mediated Action].Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education, 2011.Vol.16, no.2, pp.71—77.(In Russ.).
8. Smirnova E.O.et al.Psikhologo-pedagogicheskie osnovaniya ekspertizy igrushek [Psychological educational foundations for expert examination of toys].Voprosy psikhologii = Issues of psychology, 2008, no. 1, pp.16—25.(In Russ.).
9. Ryabkova I.A.Osobennosti rolevogo zameshcheniya v igre doshkol’nikov s raznymi materialami [Elektronnyi resurs] [The characteristics of role substitution in preschoolers’ play with different materials].Psikhologo-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya = Psychological-Educational Studies, 2018, no.3, pp. 12—19.DOI:10.17759/psyedu.2018100302 (In Russ.).
10. Ryabkova I.A., Smirnova E.O., Sheina E.G.Vozrastnye osobennosti igry doshkol’nikov s predmetami operirovaniya [Age Specifics of Role-Playing with Play Tools in Preschool Children].Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education, 2019.Vol.24, no.5, pp.5—15.DOI:10.17759/ pse.2019240501 (In Russ.).
11. Ryabkova I.A., Sheina E.G.Igrushka kak uslovnyi ob”ekt [Toy as a conditional object] [Elektronnyi resurs].Sovremennaia zarubezhnaia psikhologiia = Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2018.Vol.7, no.4, pp. 75— 81.DOI:10.17759/jmfp.2018070408 (In Russ.).
12. Smirnova E.O., Filippova I.V.Obraznaya igrushka kak sredstvo razvitiya soznaniya doshkol’nika [Character toy as consciousness development tool of a preschool child].Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education, 2008.Vol.13, no.3, pp.62—71.(In Russ.).
13. Smirnova E.O.et al.Chto vidyat i chego ne vidyat deti v kuklakh Monstr Khai [What children see and don’t see in Monster High dolls].Sovremennoi doshkol’noe obrazovanie. Teoriya i praktika = Preschool education today. Theory and practice, 2016, no.2, pp.34—43.(In Russ.).
14. El’koninova L.I., Antonova M.V.Spetsifika igry s kukloi Barbi u detei doshkol’nogo vozrasta [Characteristics of preschoolers play with Barbie].Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education, 2002, no.4, pp. 38—52.(In Russ.).
15. Berg L.-E.Toys and play in identity construction for preschool children; a pilot study of older preschool children.In Lars-Erik Berg, Anders Nelson, Kristen Svensson (eds.) Toys as communication: Toy research in the late twentieth century. Part 2.Stockholm: SITREC, 2003, pp.193—208.(In Russ.).
16. Cherney I.D.et al.The effects of stereotyped toys and gender on play assessment in children aged 18—47 months.Educational Psychology, 2003.Vol.23, no. 1, pp.95—106.DOI:10.1080/01443410303222 (In Russ.).
17. Fulcher M., Hayes A.R.Building a Pink Dinosaur: the Effects of Gendered Construction Toys on Girls’ and Boys’ Play.Sex Roles, 2018.Vol.79, pp.273—284.DOI:10.1007/s11199-017-0806-3
18. Gulden T.Plenteous and limited play, transmedia storytelling-toys in light of individualist and social esthetics.International Journal of Play, 2016.Vol.5, no. 1, pp.77—92.DOI:10.1080/21594937.2016.1147 289
19. Hashmi S.et al.Exploring the benefits of doll play through neuroscience.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2020.Vol.14.DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2020.560176
20. Kalkusch I.et al.Promoting social pretend play in preschool age: Is providing roleplay material enough? Early Education and Development, 2020.DOI:10.1080 /10409289.2020.1830248
21. Møller S.J.Imagination, Playfulness, and Creativity in Children’s Play with Different Toys.American Journal of Play, 2015.Vol.7, no.3, pp.322—346.
22. Parsons A., Howe N.Superhero toys and boys’ physically active and imaginative play.Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 2006.Vol.20, no.4, pp.287—300.DOI:10.1080/02568540609594568
23. Trawick-Smith J., Russell H., Swaminathan S.Measuring the effects of toys on the problem-solving, creative and social behaviours of preschool children.Early Child Development and Care, 2011.Vol.181, no. 7, pp.909—927.DOI:10.1080/03004430.2010.503892