Sophie Alcock

Playing with rules around routines: children making mealtimes meaningful and enjoyable

Children attending early childhood education and care centres spend a lot of time fitting in with institutional routines. This paper uses ethnographic methods and sociocultural activity theory to describe and analyse the processes whereby young children in an early childhood centre collectively created meaning and interest during potentially boring routine mealtimes. The research explores the relationship between rules and childrens playful activity. Using their imaginations children negotiated and played with and within the rules around ‘eating‐together’ times. While physically constrained in chairs around tables children enjoyed the freedom of playing with word sounds and meanings. Children actively, collaboratively and at times subversively, created their peer community culture.

Young children’s playfully complex communication: distributed imagination

ABSTRACT This paper draws on research exploring young children’s playful and humorous communication. It explores how playful activity mediates and connects children in complex activity systems where imagination, cognition, and consciousness become distributed across individuals. Children’s playfulness is mediated and distributed via artefacts (tools, signs and symbols) such as words, sounds, gestures, gaze, posture, rhythm, and movement using a variety of processes including imagination, imitation, and repetition. Novelty emerges via the dynamic interplay between artefacts within complex systems. This perspective is congruent with the New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, and specifically the theoretically‐based relationships principle which states that ‘Children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things’. Sociocultural historical activity theory informs both the methodological paradigm of the research and the framework for data analysis. The transdisciplinary nature of complexity thinking broadens this psychological sociocultural paradigm. Findings suggest that understanding the interconnected, mediated, and distributed nature of children’s playfulness is central to understanding children in early childhood settings. The concepts of interconnectedness and distributed [playfulness and] imagination have pedagogical implications for how teachers understand and view children and themselves in early childhood centre communities, and for curriculum and assessment practices. RÉSUMÉ: Cet article s’appuie sur une recherche portant sur la communication basée sur le jeu et l’humour des jeunes enfants. Il concerne la manière dont l’activité ludique médiatise et relie les enfants dans des systèmes d’activité complexes où l’imagination, la cognition et la conscience se partage entre les individus. L’activité de jeu des enfants est médiatisée et distribuée via des artefacts (outils, signes et symboles) tels que les mots, les sons, les gestes, le regard, la posture, le rythme et le mouvement, utilisant une variété de processus dont l’imagination, l’imitation et la répétition. La nouveauté émerge via la dynamique créée entre les artefacts au sein de systèmes complexes. Cette perspective converge avec le currriculum de la petite enfance de Nouvelle Zélande, Te Whariki, et plus particulièrement avec le principe des relations selon lequel ‘les enfants apprennent au travers des relations réciproques et ‘répondantes’ avec les personnes, les lieux et les choses’. La théorie de l’activité, socio‐culturelle et historique, sert de cadre au paradigme méthodologique de la recherche et à l’analyse des données. La nature transdisciplianaire de la pensée complexe élargit ce paradigme psychologique socio‐culturel. Les résultats suggèrent que la compréhension de la nature reliée, médiatisée et partagée du jeu chez l’enfant est primordiale pour comprendre la petite enfance dans les services qui les accueilent. Les concepts de liaison et d’imagination partagée ont des implications pédagogiques quant à la façon dont les enseignants comprennent et conçoivent les enfants et les adultes dans les services de à la petite enfance, ainsi que pour le curriculum et les pratiques d’évaluation. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: In diesem Artikel geht es um Forschung zur Verspieltheit und humorvollen Kommunikation junger Kinder. Der Artikel exploriert, wie verspielte Aktivität zwischen Kindern vermittelt und Kinder miteinander verbindet. Dies findet in komplexen Aktivitätssystemen statt, in denen Imagination, Kognition und Bewusstheit zwischen Individuen distribuiert werden. Die Verspieltheit von Kindern wird durch Artefakte (Werkzeuge, Zeichen und Symbole) mediiert und verbreitet, wie zum Beispiel Wörter, Töne, Gestiken, Blick, Körperhaltung, Rhythmus und Bewegung, denen eine Vielfalt von Prozessen zu Grunde liegen einschließlich Imagination, Imitation und Repetition. Durch das dynamische Zusammenwirken von Artefakten innerhalb komplexer Systeme entsteht Neues. Diese Perspektive entspricht dem Lehrplan der Frühkindlichen Erziehung in Neuseeland, Te Whāriki, insbesondere dem theoriebasierten Beziehungsansatz, der besagt: ,Kinder lernen durch reaktive und wechselseitige Beziehungen zu Personen, Orten und Dingen’. Die Aktivitätstheorie liegt dem methodischen Paradigma dieser Forschung sowie dem Rahmen der Datenanalyse zu Grunde. Diese psychologische soziokulturelle Theorie wird durch das transdisziplinäre Konzept des komplexen Denkens erweitert. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass das Verstehen der verbundenen, vermittelnden und verbreitenden Natur der Verspieltheit von Kindern zentral ist für das Verständnis frühkindlicher Settings. Die Konzepte Verbundenheit und distribuierte Verspieltheit und Imagination haben pädagogische Implikationen dafür, wie Lehrkräfte Kinder und sich selbst in frühkindlichen Erziehungszentren verstehen und wahrnehmen, sowie für Lehrplan und Evaluationspraktiken. RESUMEN: Este escrito proviene de una investigacion que explora las formas de humor y comunicaciones lúdicas encontradas en niños pequeños. En este estudio se explora la forma como las actividades lúdicas median y conectan a los niños en complejos sistemas de actividad donde la imaginación, la cognición y la consciencia se distribuyen entre individuos. La actividad lúdica en los niños esta mediada y distribuida a través de artefactos (herramientas, signos y símbolos) tales como palabras , sonidos, gestos, miradas, posturas, ritmo, y movimientos los cuales usan una variedad de procesos incluyendo la imaginación, la imitación y la repetición. La novedad emerge a partir del intercambio dinámico entre artefactos dentro de estos sistemas complejos. Esta perspectiva es congruente con el currículo para la educación temprana en Nueva Zelanda, Te Whāriki y se ajusta específicamente a los principios relacionales teoricamente basados que este contiene. Estos principios estipulan que ‘Los niños aprenden a través de relaciones reciprocas y receptivas con gente, lugares y objetos’. El paradigma metodológico de esta investigación junto con el marco usado para el analísis de datos estan basados en la teoria sobre la actividad historico‐sociocultural. La naturaleza transdiciplinaria del pensamiento complejo amplía este paradigma psicosocio‐cultural. Los resultados sugieren que el entendimiento de las formas de interconexión, mediación y distribución de la naturaleza lúdica infantil es vital para la comprensión y entendimiento de los niños en los centros educativos para la temprana infancia. Los conceptos de interconexión e imaginación distribuida en la actividad lúdica en los niños tienen implicaciones pedagógicas en la manera como los maestros miran y entienden tanto a los niños como a si mismos en las comunidades de educación temprana, teniendo esto implicaciones en las prácticas de evaluación y en el diseño de curriculos.

Young Children Being Rhythmically Playful: Creating Musike Together

This article explores young childrens rhythmic, musical, aesthetic and playful creative communication in an early childhood education centre. Young childrens communication is musically rhythmic and social. The data, presented as ‘events’, formed part of an ethnographic-inspired study conducted by the researcher as a participant observer. Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) framed the methodology, with mediated activity as the unit of analysis. Critical and related aesthetic theory inform the data analyses, providing open ways of appreciating diversity in young childrens aesthetic experience. The collaborative nature of young childrens rhythmic musicality is explored and the article suggests that rhythm pervades young childrens creative and communicative playfulness.

The changing roles of early childhood care and education in Aotearoa New Zealand: A shifting policy landscape:

This article examines the strengthening policy impetus in Aotearoa New Zealand towards bringing children, families and teachers into conformity with a view of children as commodities and the role of early childhood care and education as preparation for school, the workforce and market-oriented social futures. Through critically examining government website activity and key policy documents, we argue that the new norms and accountabilities introduced in recent policies, foster an instrumentalist approach to children and families, impacting on early childhood care and education in narrowing and damaging ways. We call for local and international re-examining of the place, purpose and principles of early childhood care and education.

Interpersonal fields of play

ABSTRACT Ethnographic methods are used to investigate infant–toddlers relationships in an early childhood setting. The metaphorical and emotionally based concepts of holding [Winnicott, D. W. (1960). The theory of the parent–infant relationship. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 41, 585–595.] and container: contained [Bion, W. R. (1962). Learning from experience. London: William Heinemann.] provide complementary angles for interpreting pre-verbal, pre-symbolic, conscious and unconscious processes in the play of young children feeling and thinking, connecting and communicating with and in their bodies, sensually within interpersonal fields [Lewin, K. (1935). A dynamic theory of personality. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill]. Vitality affects [Stern, D. (2010). Forms of vitality: Exploring dynamic experience in psychology, the arts, psychotherapy, and development. Oxford: Oxford University Press] add the felt-tone of moving bodies to these interpretations. The complex relational ways in which these young toddlers played, co-creating interpersonal fields of play are the focus of this paper.

The Third Space of Play

Why does play intrigue me? I research, write and teach about children’s play. I rebelliously chose to become an early childhood teacher because I didn’t want a desk job. I wanted to be outside and to play. Young children interested me and I enjoyed their company.

Framing: Young Children Relating and Playing

Young children’s emotional wellbeing in early childhood care and education settings is the overarching focus of this book. Children’s play is at its heart. Narrative events, thematically arranged and presented throughout the chapters of this four-part book, illustrate issues related to emotional wellbeing in young children playing and relating, in ECCE settings in Aotearoa- New Zealand. Themes, issues, and the case study settings are introduced in Part I. Parts II and III respectively explore significant themes and theory through narrative events that are grounded in two research projects. Chapter titles and headings pick up on the complexities observed in these play-based events.

The Intersubjective in-between-ness in Young Children’s Playfulness

This chapter presents ways of interpreting and understanding intersubjectivity in young children’s playful communication. This research focuses on the in-between spaces; the area in and between children connecting, communicating and relating together in play. This is a complex area open to a diverse range of interpretations, as alluded to earlier in chapters “ Framing: Young Children Relating and Playing” and “ Research Methods: Observing Experience in Two Projects (Parts II and III)”. This chapter explores the nature of the intra- and inter-subjectively mediated feeling-thoughts that emerge, and are co-created within and between children communicating playfully is a complex focus. Events illuminate processes at play in children’s play. We focus on awareness of conscious and unconscious feeling-thoughts that are co-created, emerge, and change in a range of events (Benjamin J, Psychoanal Q LXXIII(1):5–46. doi: 10.1002/j.2167-4086.2004.tb00151.x, 2004; Kirschner SR, Martin J, The sociocultural turn in psychology: the contextual emergence of mind and self. Columbia University Press, New York, 2010; Ogden T, Psychoanal Q LXX111:167–195, 2004; Psychoanal Perspect 6(1):22. doi: 10.1080/1551806X.2009.10473034, 2009; Vygotsky LS, Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1986; Wertsch JV, Voices of the mind: a sociocultural approach to mediated action. Harvester Wheatsheaf, London, 1991; Mind as action. Oxford University Press, New York, 1998).

Becoming Selves Relationally

This chapter explores how communicative playfulness with others contributes to children’s developing subjectivities – their sense of self and identities – in relation to others and the narratives they play. The events presented provide windows into the relational patterns that emerge and evolve as children connect socially, relating and communicating with others while becoming aware of themselves. Within this relatedness exists the potential for children to become aware, to learn and develop consideration and care for both self and others. This self-other awareness with care informs the ability to imagine how others feel and to empathise with them.

Feelings Felt in Bodies

This chapter emphasises the bodily felt and expressed rhythm, communicative musicality, feelings of belonging, self-other awareness and self-regulation, that featured strongly in observations of young children playfully communicating. The events in this chapter illustrate children being playful together, relating inter- and intra subjectively, while becoming attuned to each other in very bodily-based ways. Emotions and feelings flow in the rhythm of overlapping sounds, movements, gestures, and gaze. Words, chanted, spoken and heard, add complexity to children’s bodily-based playfulness.