Course Resources Archive

This module explores the relationship between play and children's cultures and considers the ways in which children create and recreate their ownpeer culture through play. Students will be introduced to disciplinary perspectives on ‘culture’, a range of contrasting perspectives on play and socialisation and the influence of materials, symbols, space and wider social constructions on children's play. These understandings will then be applied to a study of an aspect of children's play cultures in a play setting and a consideration of the implications for practitioners in supporting children’s play.

The module will introduce the following topics: perspectives on 'culture'; the relationship between culture and children's play, child-adult relationships; the influence of wider social structures and constructions in children's play; the importance of children's peer relationships; children and space; children's play language; children's culture, media and technology; children's folklore; the implications for professional practice in supporting children's play.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Appraise contrasting perspectives on the relationship between play, culture and socialisation
2. Appreciate the diverse ways in which children's cultural expressions manifest themselves in play
3. Analyse a specific aspect of children's play cultures
4. Evaluate how the themes explored inform and impact on their professional practice.

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.