Abstract
This study examines whether the Internet of Toys
(IoToys) (de)limits children's make-believe play and
whether the functionality and manipulatives offered
by the IoToys serve as motivational pleasure (tactile,
virtual and visual) for children to engage in make-believe play. Combining Piagetian and Vygotskian
ideas of play as a unity of cognition and social context, we consider IoToys as a motivational conduit
for children's symbolic actions that leads to make-believe play. Qualitative methodology was employed
using observations of young children at home when
interacting with IoToys (total n = 10 families) from
England (n = 5 families) and Australia (n = 5 families).
Data showed that children's interaction does not limit
the development of their make-believe play as they
engage in imitation schemata and create imaginative situations within and beyond the intended preprogrammed functions of the IoToy. To conclude, it is
argued that instead of differentiating virtual and physical play, we should (re)think play with multimodal
playscape lenses
(IoToys) (de)limits children's make-believe play and
whether the functionality and manipulatives offered
by the IoToys serve as motivational pleasure (tactile,
virtual and visual) for children to engage in make-believe play. Combining Piagetian and Vygotskian
ideas of play as a unity of cognition and social context, we consider IoToys as a motivational conduit
for children's symbolic actions that leads to make-believe play. Qualitative methodology was employed
using observations of young children at home when
interacting with IoToys (total n = 10 families) from
England (n = 5 families) and Australia (n = 5 families).
Data showed that children's interaction does not limit
the development of their make-believe play as they
engage in imitation schemata and create imaginative situations within and beyond the intended preprogrammed functions of the IoToy. To conclude, it is
argued that instead of differentiating virtual and physical play, we should (re)think play with multimodal
playscape lenses
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2100-2117 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | British Journal of Educational Technology |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Early online date | 16 May 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research received funding from Monash University's Early Years Academic Community for the Australian data collection
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 British Educational Research Association