Child initiated play appears as a means for children to express their inner world and personality and works as a milestone promoting their overall development. Internalized emotional disturbances constrain children’s functioning and have an impact on their general behavior, hindering their development. Most of the times, it appears challenging for teachers to identify a child with internalizing problems in the preschool classroom and most interventions are targeting children with externalized problems. Since play is a way for children to express, observations of children’s behavior while playing, provide information about their inner thoughts and concerns. The aim of the present study was to identify play behaviors and tendencies in types of play that children with typical and atypical internalized emotional disturbances show in free play situations in preschool. A systematic literature review was conducted in order to reach this goal. Six articles were included in which five internalized emotional disturbances were mentioned -one typical and four atypical. Findings revealed eight overt play behaviors, with prevalent these of non-play, solitary-passive behavior, unconscious play activity and desire for peer play but no attempt for it. Regarding engagement in play types, children exhibiting internalized problems were more prone to constructive and creative play and less engaged in symbolic play, which can be possible indicator of developmental delays. This study works as a tool for professionals in order to identify play behaviors of children with internalized emotional disturbances in preschool child initiated play. Subsequently, the findings assist interventionists on providing adequate support and clinicians on shedding light on the dubious field of emotional and behavioral disorders in early childhood.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka barnens inflytande i den barninitierade leken utifrån deras perspektiv för att uppmärksamma barnens inflytande i förskolans verksamhet. Frågeställningarna är; Vad uppfattar barn som barninitierad lek i förskolan? och Hur uppfattar barn sitt inflytande över den barninitierade leken? Den barninitierade leken innefattar att barnen fritt får styra sin egen lek utan pedagogers medverkan. Studien tar sitt avstamp i en fenomenografisk ansats, vilket innebär att ta del av individers uppfattningar om fenomen. Studien använder sig av semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta verksamma förskolebarn i åldrarna tre till fem år. Resultatet och analysen är indelat i ett kategorisystem som presenterar barns uppfattningar om deras inflytande i den barninitierade leken utifrån åtta olika kategorier. Slutsatsen i studien visar att det finns olika betydelsefulla aspekter för den barninitierade leken. Däremot får barnen inte tillräckligt med inflytande för att kunna påverka leken eftersom det finns regler och rutiner, vilket barnen uttryckte att de vill få mer inflytande kring. / The purpose of the study is to investigate the children's influence in the child-initiated play from their perspective in order to draw attention to the children's influence in the preschool's activities. The questions are; What do children perceive as child-initiated play in preschool? and How do children perceive their influence over child-initiated play? The child-initiated play includes that the children can freely control their own play without the involvement of educators. The study is based on a phenomenographic approach, which means taking part in individuals' perceptions of phenomena. The study uses semi-structured interviews with eight active preschool children aged three to five years. The results and analysis are divided into a category system that presents children's perceptions of their influence in child-initiated play based on eight different categories. The conclusion of the study shows that there are various important aspects for child-initiated play. However, the children do not get enough influence to be able to influence the game because there are rules and routines, which the children expressed that they want to have more influence around.

Observations of young children are conducted in an educational setting by practitioners to plan and assess activities based on the individual development and needs of the child. Challenges include: recording, how to be an observer rather than a participant, and connecting developmental theory to observable behaviour.Several projects have simulated children in their learning environments, aimed mainly at pre-service teachers, but these have neither been for young children where the activity is play-based nor where the adult is supportive of the child's interests. Some simulations have used 3D graphics to represent a child via a role-playing adult but there have been few attempts to use autonomous characters.A novel real-time interactive 3D graphical simulation—Observation—was developed, providing a physical sandbox for users to: add autonomous characters (representing children), add objects, and customise the play-based environment. The definitions of the characters were informed by the findings from early childhood research. The simulation was evaluated using two complementary serious game frameworks and its utility was evaluated by professionals within the field of early childhood education comprising university students and educators, and local education authority advisors. An explorative, mixed methods approach was taken, triangulating across: a pilot study and a main study; different research instruments (simulation activity plus questionnaire, focus groups, interviews); and a range of participants. The simulation has utility because: it is an interesting way to explore the behaviours of young children, the theoretical understanding behind children's play can be deepened, and observational skills can be developed. The simulation has wide appeal because the perceived utility of the simulation is not influenced by: professional experience, number of real-life observations of young children, or time spent playing video games. Age is considered to be the most important omission from the abstract character in the simulation.