Developmental Profiling of Social Play, Independence, and Social Skills among Preschool Children Aged 5–6 Years
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59638/ihyaulum.v4i1.1044Keywords:
developmental profiling, social play, independence, social skills, early childhoodAbstract
This research aims to map the developmental profile of social play, independence and social skills of early childhood as a basis for preparing an evidence-based developmental profile. The research uses a descriptive quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design. Data was collected through structured observation sheets which include the dimensions of parallel play, associative play, cooperative play, independence and social skills. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics to describe the development trends of each construct. The research results show that the development of social play, independence and social skills is in the positive category according to the characteristics of early childhood development. The dimensions of associative play, cooperative play, and social skills show higher development than parallel play and independence. These findings produce a multidimensional developmental profile that integrates social play, independence, and social skills as an empirical baseline to support evidence-based developmental assessments and play-based learning planning in early childhood education.
References
Alotaibi, M. S. (2024). Game-based learning in early childhood education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1307881
Ardoin, N. M., & Bowers, A. W. (2020). Early childhood environmental education: A systematic review of the research literature. Educational Research Review, 31, 100353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100353
Barros Blanco, B., Triviño Rodriguez, J. L., Trella López, M., & Marco Rubio, J. (2022). How do preschoolers interact with peers? Characterising child and group behaviour in games with tangible interfaces in school. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 165, 102849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102849
Bronson, M. B., & Bronson, M. (2001). Self-regulation in Early Childhood: Nature and Nurture. Guilford Press.
Coelho, V., Grande, C., Pontes, A., & Ferreira, J. (2025). The predictive role of time spent in associative and cooperative play on prosocial behavior in children with and without disabilities. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 33(6), 902–918. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2024.2443646
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2009). Research methods in education (Vol. 6). routledge London.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Sixth edition, international student edition). Sage.
Elliott, S. N., & Gresham, F. M. (2013). Social Skills Improvement System. In F. R. Volkmar (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp. 2933–2935). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_509
Erikson, E. H. (2013). Childhood and Society. W. W. Norton & Company.
Falloon, G. (2019). Using simulations to teach young students science concepts: An Experiential Learning theoretical analysis. Computers & Education, 135, 138–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.03.001
Fang, M., Huang, R., & Zhang, C. (2026). Fostering social–emotional competence in early childhood: EmoCog Play Integration Programme. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(1), 401–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.70023
Fletcher, K., Wright, C. A., Pesch, A., Abdurokhmonova, G., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2024). Active playful learning as a robust, adaptable, culturally relevant pedagogy to foster children’s 21st century skills. Journal of Children and Media, 18(3), 309–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2024.2356956
Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2018). How to design and evaluate research in education (Tenth edition). McGraw-Hill Education.
Fyffe, L., Sample, P. L., Lewis, A., Rattenborg, K., & Bundy, A. C. (2024). Entering Kindergarten After Years of Play: A Cross-Case Analysis of School Readiness Following Play-Based Education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 52(1), 167–179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01428-w
Garaigordobil, M., Berrueco, L., & Celume, M.-P. (2022). Developing Children’s Creativity and Social-Emotional Competencies through Play: Summary of Twenty Years of Findings of the Evidence-Based Interventions “Game Program.” Journal of Intelligence, 10(4), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10040077
Garte, R. (2020). Collaborative Competence during preschooler’s Peer Interactions: Considering Multiple Levels of Context within Classrooms. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 54(1), 30–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-019-09496-1
Giddens, A. (1964). Notes on the Concepts of Play and Leisure. The Sociological Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.1964.tb01247.x
Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. (1990). Social skills rating system (SSRS). Minneapolis, MN.
Gunning, C., & Holloway, J. (2022). Descriptive Analysis of Preschool Social Interactions. Journal of Behavioral Education, 31(4), 796–822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09424-z
Guo, L., He, T., Lv, X., & Yu, F. (2024). Identifying popular, rejected and neglected children in Chinese preschool: An exploratory study on the educational application of spatial positioning data. Acta Psychologica, 248, 104389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104389
Hasmawaty, H., Usman, U., & Intisari, I. (2023). Improving Children’s Science Skills Through Play Activities in Outdoor Play. TEMATIK: Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Penelitian Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 9(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.26858/tematik.v9i1.47953
Hosokawa, R., Matsumoto, Y., Nishida, C., Funato, K., & Mitani, A. (2024). Enhancing social-emotional skills in early childhood: Intervention study on the effectiveness of social and emotional learning. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 761. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02280-w
Howard, S. J., Lewis, K. L., Walter, E., Verenikina, I., & Kervin, L. K. (2024). Measuring the Quality of Adult–Child Interactions in the Context of ECEC: A Systematic Review on the Relationship with Developmental and Educational Outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 36(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09832-3
Huang, C.-H., Chou, H.-S., & Pan, Y.-H. (2025). The Construction and Weight Analysis of Preschoolers’ Social-Emotional Competence Indicators in Exercise and Game Courses. Journal of Research in Education Sciences, 70(3), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202509_70(3).0001
Jaggy, A.-K., Perren, S., & Sticca, F. (2020). Assessing Preschool Children’s Social Pretend Play Competence: An Empirical Comparison of Three Different Assessment Methods. Early Education and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1712633
Józefacka, N. M., & Hamamc?, B. (2025). The Dynamics of Pretend Play: Exploring Organization, Elaboration, and Imagination in Early Childhood. Early Education and Development, 36(8), 1791–1808. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2025.2562146
Karno, D., & Hatcher, B. (2020). Building computer supported collaborative learning environments in early childhood classrooms. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(1), 249–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09686-z
Larsen, N., Pyle, A., Danniels, E., Marzouca, M., & Nazeem, R. (2025). Kindergarten teachers’ facilitation of social and emotional learning in classroom play contexts. Education Inquiry, 16(2), 195–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2023.2192900
Montoya-Fernández, C., Losada-Puente, L., Gómez-Barreto, I. M., & Gil-Madrona, P. (2024). Developmental play-based assessment in early childhood education: A systematic review. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 32(5), 788–813. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2024.2311100
Morris, T. H. (2020). Experiential learning – a systematic review and revision of Kolb’s model. Interactive Learning Environments, 28(8), 1064–1077. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1570279
Neal, J. W., Neal, Z. P., Brutzman, B., & Durbin, C. E. (2025). Understanding the developmental transition between parallel and social play during preschool: A multiplex social network analysis. Developmental Psychology, 61(10), 1860–1867. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001837
Nesbitt, K. T., Blinkoff, E., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2023). Making schools work: An equation for active playful learning. Theory Into Practice, 62(2), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2023.2202136
Ozen-Uyar, R., Yigit-Gencten, V., & Ceylan, M. (2025). Drama-Based Read-Alouds in Preschool Classroom: Promoting Social Understanding, Social Problem Solving, and Peer Relationships. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(3), e70014. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.70014
Parten, M. B. (1933). Social play among preschool children. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 28(2), 136–147. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0073939
Piaget, J. (2013). Play, Dreams And Imitation In Childhood (0 ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315009698
Rubin, K. H., Maioni, T. L., & Hornung, M. (1976). Free Play Behaviors in Middle- and Lower-Class Preschoolers: Parten and Piaget Revisited. Child Development, 47(2), 414–419. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128796
Saral, B., & Acar, I. H. (2021). Preschool children’s social competence: The roles of parent–child, parent–parent, and teacher–child relationships. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2021.1985557
Smits-van der Nat, M., van der Wilt, F., Meeter, M., & van der Veen, C. (2024). The Value of Pretend Play for Social Competence in Early Childhood: A Meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36(2), 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09884-z
Stucke, N. J., & Doebel, S. (2024). Early childhood executive function predicts concurrent and later social and behavioral outcomes: A review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 150(10), 1178–1206. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000445
Thompson, B. N., & Goldstein, T. R. (2019). Disentangling pretend play measurement: Defining the essential elements and developmental progression of pretense. Developmental Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2019.100867
Thunder, K., Hattie, J., Almarode, J. T., Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Demchak, A. (2023). What really matters in play? Theory Into Practice, 62(2), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2023.2202135
Usman, U., Arismunandar, A., Rusmayadi, R., Saodi, S., Musi, M. A., & Hasan, H. (2026). Pathways to social competence: Motor skills and the mediating role of independence in early childhood education: Pathways to social competence: motor skills and the mediating role of independence in early childhood education. Retos, 78, 382–393. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v78.118679
Usman, U., Zulhidayah, T., & Lestari, W. (2024). Kegiatan Play Outdor untuk Mengembangkan Kemampuan Motorik Anak Taman Kanak-Kanak Usia 5-6 Tahun. Murhum?: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 5(1), 928–943. https://doi.org/10.37985/murhum.v5i1.452
Vazquez, V., Cibrian, F. L., & Tentori, M. (2019). StretchyStars: A multitouch elastic display to support cooperative play among preschoolers. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 23(1), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-018-1179-5
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (Vol. 86). Harvard university press.
Zhou, J., Chen, X., Li, D., Liu, J., Cui, L., & Zhou, T. (2025). The Structure of Social Competence and School Adjustment in Chinese Children and Adolescents: A Network Analysis. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 02724316251391413. https://doi.org/10.1177/02724316251391413
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Usman Usman, Tahmid Madjid, Gunawan Gunawan, Arfiani Arfiani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
