'They get fed up with playing' : parents' views on play-based learning in the preparatory year

Within early childhood education two ideas are firmly held: that play is the best way for children to learn, and that parents are partners in the child's learning. While these ideas have been explored, limited research to date has investigated the confluence of the two - how parents of young children view the concept of play. This article investigates parents' views on play by analysing the views of a small group of parents of Preparatory Year (Prep) children in Queensland, Australia. The parents in this study held varying definitions of what constitutes play, and complex and contradictory notions of its value. Positive views of play were linked to learning without knowing it, engaging in hands-on activities, and preparation for Year One through a strong focus on academic progress. Some parents held that Prep was play- based, while others did not. The complexities and diversity of parental opinion in this study echo the ongoing commentary about how play ought to be defined. Moreover, the notion that adults may interpret play in different ways is also reflected here. The authors suggest that for early childhood educators these complexities require an ongoing engagement, debate, and reconceptualisation of the place of play in light of broader curricular and sociopolitical agendas. [Author abstract]