The Investigation of Children s Play Behaviors Attending Preschool Education Institutions

The aim of this study is to determine the play behaviors of children attending preschool education institutions in the 2017-2018 academic year. In this study, descriptive survey model was used. The sample of the study consists of 521 children that were determined by stratified sampling method. In this study, “Play Behaviors Scale for Children of 36-71 Months” was used to determine the play behaviors of children. In the analysis of research data, descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and differential statistics were used. As a result of study, it was concluded that children who attend preschool education institutions often exhibit social play behaviors, sometimes exhibit parallel play behaviors, seldom exhibit solitary and rough tumble play behaviors, hardly exhibit reticent play behaviors. It was concluded that boys exhibit rough tumble play behaviors more than girls; children exhibit social play behaviors more as the level of maternal education increases; but children s play behaviors do not differ significantly according to age, number of siblings, father s education level and family income level. It is advisable to organize various seminar and in-service training programs in order to enable preschool teachers to organize play activities more effectively.