Comparison of the playfulness of mothers of preschool children with typical development and developmental delays

Early childhood is a critical developmental period in which the quality of parent–child interaction shapes children’s cognitive, language, motor, and social–emotional development. Although playfulness is considered an important psychological resource in early interactions, limited research has examined how playfulness varies according to children’s developmental status and specific developmental domains. This study aimed to compare the playfulness tendencies of mothers of preschool children with typical development and developmental delays and to examine the relationship between playfulness, children’s developmental domains, and selected sociodemographic variables. The sample consisted of 152 mother–child pairs attending kindergartens and special education kindergartens in western Turkey during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected using the Adult Playfulness Trait Scale and the Denver II Developmental Screening Test. The findings showed that mothers of typically developing children had significantly higher levels of playfulness than mothers of children with developmental delays. Playfulness was also significantly associated with children’s developmental domains, particularly language development. These findings highlight playfulness as an important psychosocial factor that may contribute to supportive developmental environments in early childhood.