Cognition Mediates Playfulness Development in Early Childhood: A Longitudinal Study of Typically Developing Children

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Children's playfulness is evident as early as age 6 mo and continues to develop through toddlerhood, depending on their cognitive growth. Occupational therapists play a key role in working with families with young children, promoting cognitive development to further the development of playfulness behaviors. What This Article Adds: Understanding the development of playfulness and exploring its relationship with cognitive functioning in typically developing children fills important gaps in occupational therapy knowledge and contributes to delivery of early intervention, especially when cognition or playfulness are at risk. Our findings confirmed that cognitive functioning contributes to the development of playfulness.PMID:35947034 | DOI:10.5014/ajot.2022.049120
Source: The American Journal of Occupational Therapy - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Source Type: research