Exploring the Intersection between Young Children’s Play and Development in Nigeria

Experts describe play as essential to the development and well-being of children. However, culture is a key factor influencing the intersection between play and child development. Most research on play has been conducted in Western cultural settings; very little empirical research has been conducted on play in the Nigerian context. Because of the importance of play in child development, Nigeria’s Policy of Education recommends that early childhood education and care centres use play methods to foster learning and development. Despite this, rote teaching methods are ubiquitous in Nigerian early childhood classrooms, with play relegated to break times. The disconnect between policy and practice regarding play methods may be due to the fact that little research has been conducted on culturally relevant play practices in Nigeria and the contribution of these types of play to children’s development. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe common types of play amongst Nigerian children and how these types of play can be adapted to foster learning and development in early childhood education. Using a qualitative approach, this study will use retrospective reports of pre-service educators in Nigeria to identify common types of play. In focus groups and interviews, participants will reflect on the types of play that they engaged in as children. They will also be asked to reflect on how these types of play foster holistic development, and consider how these types of play can be adapted as effective teaching practices in early childhood classrooms.