Promoting Preschoolers’ Moral Reasoning Through Board Games and Peer Discussions: A Mixed-Methods Study

This mixed-methods study explored the effects of structured moral dilemma discussions on preschool children’s moral decision-making and moral maturity. Thirty children aged 5 to 6 years were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group participated in peer-based discussions facilitated through customized board games and a tabletop puppet theater (i.e., symbolic play). Quantitative results indicated significant improvements in prosocial decision-making sophistication, although no statistically significant changes were observed in overall Kohlbergian stage progression. Qualitative analyses revealed that children’s moral reasoning shifted from authority-driven responses to more relational, empathetic, and principle-based justifications. The integration of board games and symbolic play effectively facilitated emotional engagement, narrative reasoning, and perspective-taking. These findings highlight the potential of play-based, peer-mediated moral education approaches in early childhood settings. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the feasibility of moral discussion interventions for preschoolers and offers practical implications for incorporating structured moral reasoning activities into early childhood education curricula.