Children’s Play: A Parental Interview-Based Exploration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12724/ajss.77.2Keywords:
play, gender, parental interview, KeralaAbstract
Play is critical for children. It makes a substantial contribution to child development. However, children’s play is in a state of flux at present. Given that parents are the primary observers of children’s daily lives, their narratives provide reliable data on children’s play behaviour. Using interviews from 13 mothers (of seven boys and six girls aged between 4 and 12 years), this article examines the nature of children’s play in Kerala. The qualitative content analysis of the data, focusing on the play behaviour of children, factors influencing the play, and changes over time, showed that gender differences in play behaviour had been reported to persist across generations. Gender norms, commercial market forces, and the constraints of an urbanised environment had a significant role in shaping children's play environment. No evident difference was noted in the overall play behaviour of children in urban and rural areas. The study implies that there is a need to promote more inclusive play and ensure access to safe play spaces for children.
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