Children’s Play as a Form and Method in Preschool Education

Abstract

: Starting from the theoretical background, considerable research, and implications in the educational practice itself, children’s play has proved to be one of the fundamental elements of education as a form and method of work in the development of the youngest. The aim of this paper is to provide an insight into the attitudes of preschool teachers about the presence of play elements, based on the perception of their own professional strategies and procedures in practice. The research sample includes fifty-seven (57) practitioners who attend the master program of vocational studies of the Preschool Teacher Training College in Šabac. The survey was conducted in November 2018 by means of a Questionnaire specially designed for research purpos-es. The obtained results of the research showed that the majority of preschool teachers distinguish play as the basic method of educational work with children of preschool age; they recognize their own play “in-play” primarily in the activities of producing various creative contents from different artistic areas, in creation of work-and-play aids and in designing new games. The significance of this research is the reconstruction of the attitudes of preschool teachers about the presence of the elements of play within their own professional identity through self-evaluation, in the possibility of improving their own practice, as well as the practical application of the obtained results in improving the programs of higher education institutions for the education of preschool teachers in order to strengthen their professional competencies in accordance with the requirements of the practice and modern strategies of educational work in preschool education.