Children, Parents and Childcare Staff’s Perspectives on Children’s Playfulness

This study explores children’s trait playfulness from three unique perspectives: children, parents, and childcare staff. One-hundred children ages 4-11 participated in the study (49% male, 44% female, 7% ‘other/don’t want to say’ M = 7.62 years, SD = 1.85 years). A novel adaptation of Barnett’s (1990) Children’s Playfulness Scale was used alongside other established playfulness measures. Strong internal consistency was observed in adult-reported playfulness, while children’s self-reports demonstrated weaker internal consistency. Significant correlations between the novel Children’s Playfulness Scale-Modified and other measures within each reporter type established reliability in capturing a shared playfulness construct. Discrepancies between reporters were observed, with parents providing higher playfulness reports than children and childcare staff, reflecting potential biases and the influence of varied observational contexts. A significant relationship between children’s perceptions of autonomy in a Playwork setting and their self-reported playfulness suggests a link between children’s sense of control and playfulness. Despite limitations in self-report internal consistency and sample size, this study supports the utility of the Children’s Playfulness Scale-Modified and emphasizes the value of integrating children’s perspectives within playfulness research. Future research should further investigate how environmental factors interact to shape children’s playfulness and developmental outcomes.