Children´s play is one of the fundamental activities in the preschool period, as it enables children to explore the world, gain experience and develop in various areas in a spontaneous and natural way. It plays an important role in the development of thinking, language, imagination, creativity, emotions and social skills. Children´s play also involves various challenges, particularly in terms of providing a stimulating environment, sufficient opportunities for play, and appropriate materials and resources.
Symbolic play represents an important starting point for the development of role- play, in which children take on different roles, use their imagination and engage in various situations and relationships, thereby developing language, cooperation and an understanding of others. In this thesis, we focused on how role-play based on the theme of a police officer can promote the development of initial elements of technical and technological literacy among preschool children. The focus was on role-play that enabled children to use props and materials, use objects symbolically and solve simple problems within a play situation.
The purpose of the thesis was to determine how children recognise props associated with the role of a police officer during role-play, whether they understand their purpose, how they use them in play and how they participate in the creation and selection of materials. We also examined how children use objects symbolically when appropriate police-related props are not available. The practical part of the study included 15 children aged 3 to 6 years. The three activities were: role play with prepared props, the creation of props for role play, and the selection of appropriate objects for the role of police officer. Data were collected using an observation sheet designed specifically for the purposes of the thesis. The data were analysed descriptively and presented using frequencies.
The results showed that the children recognised most of the props, were able to name or describe them and meaningfully incorporated them into their play. The children also demonstrated the symbolic use of objects by using ordinary items as substitutes for police-related props. Older children explained their choices verbally, whereas younger children often demonstrated their understanding through actions. The results indicate the potential of role-play to promote the development of initial technical and technological literacy in kindergarten, as it enables children to learn through play, concrete experiences, the use of materials and problem solving. The findings of the study may contribute to the development of developmentally appropriate activities that can be incorporated into kindergarten practice, particularly by connecting play, exploration, the use of materials and problem solving.
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