Play Activities and Social Development of Kindergarten Children in the Nanton District, Ghana

Play is very paramount in the growth and development of children as it promotes the holistic development of children. The purpose of the study was to explore the contribution of play activities to the social development of kindergarten children in the Nanton District. The specific objectives that guided the study were; to explore how the use of play materials contribute to kindergarten children’s social development, to explore how time allocation for play in kindergarten schools promotes social development of children. The study employed the qualitative research approach using the interpretivist paradigm. The researcher adopted the case study design of qualitative research. The target population of the study was Two Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty (2350) pupils. The accessible population was Two Hundred (200) pupils. The sample size was Thirty (30) pupils and twenty (20) teachers. The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the subjects for the study. Semi-structured interview was used to gather information from respondents. Also, observational checklist was used to gather information to triangulate with the interview data. The data was manually analysed thematically. The results were interpreted using inductive reasoning to draw meanings from the data collected. The findings were that; play materials contribute to kindergarten children’s social development. It was also established that adequate time allocated for play activities promote kindergarten children social development. The study concludes that, play activities contribute significantly to the social development of kindergarten children. The researcher recommends that the District Education Directorate of Nanton, Non-Governmental Organisations and other stakeholders should provide kindergarten schools with enough, varieties, and developmentally appropriate play materials to facilitate the social development of kindergarten pupils. Also, the Ministry of Education with Ghana Education Service and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment should allocate more time for play activities on the kindergarten timetable to give the pupils more chance to engage in play activities regularly.