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The data reported in this paper represent initial efforts to seek to explain the antecedents of young children's playful behavior. The hypothesis that much of the child's play style is influenced by the “messages” that parents give from their own leisure was investigated. Preschool children were rated by several of their teachers on five play styles, and each of the child's parents provided information about his/her leisure. Correlational analyses were computed for each play style separately and between each child and parent. Results provide a descriptive picture of how parents may subtlely communicate “leisure messages” which may then be mirrored by the child in his/her play.
Barnett et al. (Mon,) studied this question.