Am I interrupting or supporting? Associations between teachers' roles in free play and children's playfulness

Free play is recognized in early childhood education and care (ECEC) as a crucial form of learning, and children’s disposition to engage in play is termed playfulness. The emphasis that free play places on children’s autonomy and self-control raises questions about teachers’ roles in this learning environment to encourage children’s engagement in play. This study explores the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between the roles that teachers (n = 62) adopt during free play and the playfulness of children in ECEC (n = 393; Mage = 4.5 years; SDage = 1.3). Teachers’ roles were assessed through standardized live observations, and children’s playfulness was assessed with a questionnaire completed by parents and teachers, once at the same time as the observations and again 1 year later. Cross-sectionally, no significant associations were found. However, longitudinal results showed a small positive association between the onlooker role and children’s playfulness, demonstrating the importance of both teachers’ presence and children’s autonomy in free play. Further moderation analysis revealed that the impact of teachers’ roles on children’s playfulness at T2 depended on children’s initial levels of playfulness. These findings demonstrate the importance of tailoring practice sensitively to the children’s stage of development.