Verification of a VR Play Program’s Effects on Young Children’s Playfulness

This study verified the effects of a Virtual Reality (VR) play program on young children’s playfulness using a Solomon four-group experimental design. Targeting 120 children aged four and five in South Korea, a 10-week, child-friendly non-immersive VR program was conducted, measuring five subdomains of playfulness based on Barnett’s framework: physical, social, and cognitive spontaneity, manifestation of enjoyment, and sense of humor. Statistical analysis revealed that the VR program had a significant positive effect across all subdomains of playfulness. The biggest influence on playfulness was sense of humor, followed by physical spontaneity and social spontaneity with an overall effect size of 0.290. Furthermore, the lack of interaction effects with the pretest confirmed the study’s internal validity, proving the VR program was the clear causal factor. These results provide empirical evidence that VR play can enhance the emotional, cognitive, and social development of young children. This study offers a practical basis for integrating VR-based play into early childhood education curricula and suggests its potential to improve peer relationships, confidence, and self-expression. Future research is needed, including the development of content to enhance cognitive spontaneity and longitudinal studies.