Ghanaian Parents’ Perspectives on Young Children’s Play Experiences during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

This study examined Ghanaian parents’ perspectives on how their children’s play experiences were influenced by the 2019 coronavirus pandemic. Purposive criterion sampling was used to select 15 parents (aged 20-50 years old) from three communities in the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana. The selection criteria were that potential parents had at least one child between the ages of four and eight years old, and that the child or children must be living with the parent(s) at the time of the study. Semi-structured interviews served as the primary source of data. Inductive data analysis strategies were employed to analyze the data. Results showed that children’s play experiences changed during the pandemic in terms of play types, play places, play partners, play materials, frequency of play, and gender dynamics. The major factors that influenced children’s play during the coronavirus outbreak were parents’ personal factors and the availability of play materials. Additionally, children were active agents in their own play experiences. There needs to be a concerted effort among parents, schools, and other stakeholders aimed at providing developmentally appropriate play experiences for young children.

Keywords

• covid-19
• pandemic
• play
• young children
• socioeconomic status