Children with autism often display deficits in social interaction, communication, and play. Unlike typical peers during free play with a variety of games and toys, they often do not initiate to others or engage in interactive game play for sustained periods of time. Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of script-fading procedures in increasing initiations and conversational repertoires for children with autism. However, these procedures were examined in arranged environments using an activity schedule or in structured settings. In addition, the role of the conversation partner has not been studied. The use of activity schedules has also been effective in increasing independence and decreasing adult prompts. In particular, the use of a joint activity schedule increased independent game play between preschoolers with autism. Therefore, the current study investigated (a) the use of script-fading procedures and the use of manual guidance to teach four preschool children to initiate game play during free play without the aide of an activity schedule. Second, the study examined the effects of scripts and script-fading procedures on (b) the frequency of interactions, (c) the conversation partner's interactions on participants' interactions, (d) generalization across stimuli and people, (e) maintenance, and (f) independent free play. Results demonstrated participants' play initiations, engagement, number of games played, and frequency of interactions increased, skills generalized across games and peers, and maintained. Furthermore, the number of prompts decreased, indicating script- fading procedures with manual guidance alone may be effective in increasing independent free play and initiations.

Through interviews with children of ages 4-5 years old and by observing children children at play at three preschools with different types of outdoor surroundings, I have investigated if the preschools outdoor surroundings have any influences on the children´ choice of play. The hypothesis was that natural surroundings can entice children´s interest in nature being in it and play. I have also investigated if the children know why it is important to be outdoors and if they know it has a positive influence on their health. The result of my investigation is that the children play about the same games at the three different preschool gardens, but at the preschool with more natural surroundings, the children have more contact with plants and animals, and could learn of the different phenomena of nature by the preschool teacher answering their questions. Most of the children in the interviews know it´s useful to be outdoors and be on the move and get fresh air, but many of them thought it was most important to play. By being outdoors the children get exercise, fresh air, play and at the same time they establish an understanding of the nature and a healthier life. / Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med barn i åldern 4-5 år och observationer av barnens lek på tre förskolor med olika utformade utemiljöer har jag undersökt om förskolans utemiljö har någon inverkan på barnens val av lekar. Syftet var att undersöka om förskolans utemiljö påverkar barnens lek och om en mer naturlik utemiljö kan locka fram barnens naturintresse genom att de får vistas i den och ha fri lek där. Jag har även undersökt om barnen vet varför det är viktigt att vara ute och om de vet att det har positiv inverkan på deras hälsa. Det visade sig att barnen leker ungefär samma lekar på de tre olika förskolegårdarna oavsett vilken utformning utemiljön har. Men vid den förskola som hade mer naturlig miljö, så kom barnen mer spontant i kontakt med djur och växter, och på så vis kunde de lära sig om naturens olika fenomen genom att en medforskande pedagog besvarade deras frågor och funderingar. De flesta av de intervjuade barnen visste att det var nyttigt att vara ute och röra på sig och få frisk luft, men många av dem tyckte det var viktigast att få leka. genom barnens utevistelse får de faktiskt alla dess tre faktorer, plus att de samtidigt får grunden till naturförståelse genom att de får leka fritt i naturen och att de håller sig friskare.

Det här examensarbetets syfte var att fördjupa förståelsen kring åtta förskollärares synsätt om flickors och pojkars fria lek ur ett genusperspektiv. Därutöver är avsikten att bidra till ökad insikt om förskollärares arbete för att främja jämställdhet mellan flickor och pojkar. Teoriavsnittet behandlar fri lek i den vardagliga verksamheten i förskolan. Därefter fördjupas barnens villkor i den fria leken.   Intervjuer där åtta utbildade förskollärare i två olika verksamheter deltog, användes som metod. Båda verksamheterna är kommunalt drivna utan specifika inriktningar.     I studiens resultat framgår olika faktorer som visar att de åtta intervjuade förskollärarna ibland var av olika uppfattningar och åsikter även då de arbetar på samma förskola eller förskoleklass. Det kunde likväl vara två förskollärare på de två olika verksamheterna som hade samma synsätt. Endast hälften av förskollärarna framhåller vikten av att den fria leken bidrar till utveckling och lärande. Det förefaller också finnas en omedvetenhet kring skillnader i hur flickor och pojkar leker då endast en av förskollärarna påtalar detta. Den dominerande tendensen visar på att förskollärarna är samstämmiga kring sitt synsätt om att alla barn ska ha samma möjligheter och villkor i den fria leken.

The research in this thesis attempts to understand what happens when children (3-6 years of age) interact with each other in the context of free play in two pre-school settings when adults are not involved. The aim of the study was to get a closer look at how children create relationships and how they protect and defend their interactional spaces. Data was gathered through ethnographically inspired methodology, using video observation to capture the everyday interactions of the children. Results were analyzed using a phenomenological approach to peer cultures. Previous research suggests that it is very important for children to maintain their interactions with peers and gaining access to play. We have studied how children shape and interrupt relationships, and what strategies they mainly use to exclude undesired participants from play activities. Our results indicate that it was a hard task for the children to gain access to playgroups in these two pre-school settings, and that the children often jointly constructed a number of strategies for excluding other children from their play. The results also showed a considerable difference between the pre-school settings, both regarding the conception of status, themes of play and the way the children chose to protect their interactional space. Our study has shown legible examples of how peer cultures are under influence of local circumstances at these two specific settings.

The aim of the study was to investigate peer interaction among toddlers 12 to 30 months of age and the teachers’ ways to direct the children’s play in outdoor free play situations in a Swedish preschool. Data was gathered through direct observation, and the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty in combination with the assumption of children as social actors built the theoretical framework of the study. The results showed that the toddlers used different strategies to invite peers to interaction and made use of strategies in entering ongoing play that previously have been observed among older preschoolers. These strategies, bodily and therefore in accordance with the phenomenological approach, support the assumption of toddlers as social actors that actively engage in and make sense of their life worlds in the preschool. The teachers showed less interference in the children’s play compared with earlier studies. The results of the study stress the significance of free play as an arena for learning of different social skills and importance of the preschool teachers being conscious of these young children’s life worlds.

Syftet med studien var att genom intervjuer och observationer undersöka pedagogers delaktighet i den fria leken i förskola och förskoleklass. De frågeställningar som låg till grund var, Vad innebär vuxnas delaktighet i barnens fria lek? På vilket sätt kommer den vuxnes delaktighet till uttryck i den fria leken? Detta för att vi ville veta om vuxna deltar och på vilket sätt de deltar i barnens lek. Vår studie är kvalitativ och i metoden är vi inspirerade av fenomenografi och sociokulturellt perspektiv. Studien grundar sig på sju intervjuer med pedagoger i förskola och förskoleklass och på observationer, en i förskola och en i förskoleklass. I resultatet kom vi fram till att vuxnas uttryck av delaktighet har visat sig på flera olika sätt. De vanligaste uttrycken är handledare och förespråkare för verkligheten, däremot kunde vi se att deltagande som lekkamrat inte förekom så ofta även om respondenterna uttrycker att de gärna vill. / The purpose of this study was that through interviews and observations to examine pedagogues participation in the free play in preschool and preschool classes. The issues which formed the basis was, What does adult involvement in children's free play mean? How will the adult's participation be reflected in the free game? This is because we wanted to know about the adults involved and how they participate in children's play. Our study is qualitative and the method we are inspired by is phenomenography and socio-cultural perspective. The study is based on seven interviews with teachers in preschool and preschool classes and observations, one in preschool and one in the preschool class. In the result, we concluded that the adult expression of participation has proved in several different ways. The most common expressions are play tutor and spokesman for reality, however, we found that participation playmate was not so often, even if respondents say that they want to.

The purpose of this thesis is to study five pedagogue’s view of the free play and their view of the importance of the free play for children´s learning and development.  I have chosen to use a qualitative research method in the form of interviews with five pedagogue´s from a preschool. The main research questions asked were: What have the pedagogues of view on the free play?  How important believe the pedagogue that the free play is for children’s learning and development?  What has emerged in the study is that educators have a positive view of the free play. They believed that the free play is important for children´s skills. This is also shown in the literature as presented in the research survey. The result of the importance of play for children´s learning and development according to educators is that children learn to use imagination, social interaction with one another and show empathy and sympathy. The results also showed that the free play may have barriers that lead to conflicts among the children. Most educators felt that their presence is important to support and develop the play.

No description available.

I studien har vi undersökt flickor och pojkars val av lekar och val av material samt olika kommunikationsmönster mellan könen. Vi har observerat barnens val av lekmaterial och lekar i förskolan. Flickornas och pojkarnas kommunikation mellan varandra observerades i tre utvalda miljöer. Dessa tre miljöer innefattade ett typiskt flickrum (dockvrå), ett typiskt pojkrum (byggrum) och ett neutralt rum. Utifrån egna erfarenheter väljer flickor ofta att leka i dockvrån medan pojkar ofta väljer att leka i byggrummet. Genom att observera i olika miljöer kunde vi undersöka miljöns betydelse för flickor och pojkars kommunikation mellan varandra. Studien utgår från den sociala inlärningsteorin som menar att barn gör som vi gör. Det vill säga att barn har förebilder och genom dem lär dem sig snabbt innebörden av vad som anses vara flicka eller pojke. I resultatet visar det sig att det förkommer olika könskoder i barnens val av lekar och material samt i kommunikationen. I observationerna visade det sig att flickorna och pojkarna ofta valde att leka samma sorts lekar samt leka med samma material. Pojkarna lekte dock mer våldsamt och lekte mycket tävlings och krigslekar. Flickorna lekte mer försiktigt och stillsamt samt lekte mycket omvårdnad och skönhetslekar. Trots att de båda könen använde sig av samma material kunde man se tydliga könsmönster i deras beteenden. Ett exempel på detta kan vara att flickorna ofta formade leran som bakverk och mat medan pojkarna ofta formade denna som bollar och gubbar. Flickorna använde även mycket rosa, gula, vita och lila färger i sitt skapande medan pojkarnas val av färger dominerades av blåa, gröna, bruna och röda färger. Vi kunde även se tydliga kommunikationsmönster mellan flickor och pojkar. Detta då barnen vid några tillfällen diskuterade manliga och kvinnliga egenskaper och beteenden med varandra. Vi har diskuterat miljöns betydelse i barns skapande av genus i förskolan. Barn samtalar om det som finns omkring dem vilket betyder att det är viktigt att pedagoger skapar en miljö där barnen kan få en bredare syn på manligt och kvinnligt. / In this study we investigated girls and boys choices of games and choice of materials as well as different patterns of communication between the sexes. We have observed the children’s choice of play materials and games in preschool. Girls ' and boys' communication between each other were observed in three environments. These three environments comprised a typical girl playroom which included kitchen supplies, dolls and dress up clothes, a typical boy playroom which included building supplies, cars, and toy tools and a neutral room. Based on personal experience, girls often play in the girls’ playroom while boys often choose to play in the construction area. By observing in different environments, we could examine the importance of the environment for girls and boys of communication between each other. The study is based on the social learning theory which argues that children do as we do. That is children have role models and through them learn quickly the meaning of what is considered to be a girl or boy. This result shows that the pre various gender codes of the children's choice of games and materials, and in communication. I could see that the girls and boys often chose to play the same kind of games and play with the same material at the preschool. The boys were playing, however, more violent and played many racing and war games. The girls played more gently and quietly and played more care and beauty games. Despite the fact that both sexes used the same materials you could see clear gender patterns in their behavior. An example of this would be that the girls often shaped clay as pastries and food while the boys often shaped this as balls and old men. The girls also used the very pink, yellow, white and purple colors in their creations while the boys' choice of colors dominated by blue, green, brown and red. One could also see clear patterns of communication between girlsand boys. This is when the children on some occasions discussed the male and female characteristics and behaviors with each other. We have discussed the importance of the environment in children's creation of gender in preschool. Children talk about what's around them and it is important to create an environment where children can get a broader view of masculinity and femininity.

The aim of this study is to describe successful strategies to include children in free play activities at the preschool. The methods that pedagogues use to act and work with excluded children will be examined. To get answers to my questions I have conducted interviews with five pedagogues in four preschools. During interviews they mention two different approaches to encourage free play activity. One way was to participate and play along with the children. The other approach was to let the children play by themselves and only interact when there are disagreements between the children. During analysis of the assembled data I have used the sociocultural perspective developed by Vygotskij. In the study the pedagogues describe different ways to reduce the risk that children will be excluded. The study also includes suggestions and thoughts about why some children are excluded in free play and how they can be encouraged to participate in the activity. The pedagogues that were interviewed seemed to be very aware of the problem. I observed that they have high ambitions to include all children in free play activities. I raise the question about how they manage to fulfill the goal of including children when there are time constraints and many children with different needs in large groups. At the same time there are many other requirements that the pedagogues have to fulfill.