Emotion Regulation: Preschool Children During Outdoor Play

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to help understand preschool children’s ability to regulate their emotions through outdoor play. There has been extensive research indicating the positive effects of play on a child’s ability to regulate their emotions. Keeping this in mind, the thesis explores preschool children’s outdoor play and emotion regulation. The findings suggest that preschool children are able to regulate their emotions through social interaction/play. The observations also help understand the different ways in which children interact with each other when a child expresses negative or positive emotions. The thesis further highlights the importance of play in relation to their understanding of various topics that can often be distressing and the ways in which they navigate their emotions around these topics. Two main themes include the use of risky play to regulate emotions and the expression of emotions regarding the topic of death through play.