Purpose
The aim of the study is to carry out a play intervention in a Swedish kindergarten that involves preventive work to reduce the risk of developing mental health problems. The study is not about identifying children with mental health problems in kindergarten, but rather about developing a preventive method. The research questions are: 1) What do kindergarten teachers describe as the possibilities of the play intervention programme? 2) What obstacles do kindergarten teachers describe and what needs to be developed in the programme? 3) What development in the children do the kindergarten teachers describe?
Result
The results indicate that the intervention can be used as a model for how kindergarten teachers can manage children in kindergarten. The aim is that the play intervention programme that was investigated can be a structured approach for educators to support children's play in kindergarten, prevent anxiety, and worry later in life.
Design
The study is based on a play programme developed and used in Canada that has also been tested in Norway. The aim of the programme is to support children's mental health by training social skills and supporting children in play with other children in order to prevent anxiety and loneliness. The kindergarten teachers kept a logbook during the six weeks of the intervention. Before the play programme started, staff and parents carried out an assessment of the children using an assessment form in which the children's strengths and weaknesses were assessed. Two kindergarten teachers and seven four-year-olds participated in the study.
References
Hellberg, K., Fälth, L., & Lundbäck, B. (2021). "Kulekrabater-Lek, lärande och undervisning: en lekintervention för att stärka barns deltagande i lek - en pilotstudie". Specialpædagogik, 41(4):38-53.