Imagination, Playfulness, and Creativity in Children’s Play with Different Toys.

The objective of the study is to provide a better understanding of the relationship between children’s imagination and their creativity by examining the way in which they play with two different types of toy: creative construction toys and social fantasy toys. In addition, the author examines the role that playing with different types of material/toy has in producing transgressive acts. By transgression, the author means the novel acts children bring into a play scenario.

The study shows that the two concepts ‘transgression’ and ‘novelty’ are intertwined with playfulness. According to the author, novelty is when a child introduces a new element to the play scenario that complies with the rules of the scenario, whereas transgression is when a child introduces an element that challenges the play scenario by breaching the implicit or explicit rules. According to the author, when the children in the study suggested something new within a given play scenario without questioning the rules of the scenario, but rather attempted to avoid challenging the rules, they failed to develop the play scenario. Instead, they elaborated on the existing play scenario, leading to further clarification of the rules and play criteria, and no new aspects were introduced to their play. The author found that this was particularly typical in the groups playing with creative construction toys. The study shows that the groups that played with social fantasy toys were more inclined to develop the rules for their play scenario rather than adhering to the existing rules.

The author concludes that transgressions in a play scenario can be related to creating a sense of a situation as one’s own. Moreover, the author indicates that the creative transgressions that arise in children’s play while they are negotiating or introducing novel or transgressive actions are important for a child’s sense of belonging to, or being part of, a setting.

Data was collected in two Danish kindergartens where kindergarten teachers assembled six groups of children, who were observed in a number of play situations. Three of the groups played with creative construction toys and three groups played with social fantasy toys. Each group comprised no more than five children with a mix of boys and girls in all groups. A total of seven girls and eight boys played with social fantasy toys (e.g. costumes, fantasy figurines and stuffed animals) and seven boys and eight girls played with creative construction toys (e.g. LEGO sets, wooden building blocks and train sets). For a period of eight weeks, the six groups were video recorded and photographed twice a week while they were playing. Based on statistical analysis of the data material, the author examined whether the children’s creative imagination differed depending on which type of toy they were playing with.

Møller, S.J. (2015). Imagination, Playfulness, and Creativity in Children’s Play with Different Toys. American Journal of Play 7(3), 322-346.