Exploring the Meaning of Play for Children’s Sensorimotor Development: A Parental Perspective

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-489-1_45How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Play; Sensorimotor; Parents; Toddlers

Abstract

Sensorimotor development in early childhood plays a crucial role in shaping the foundation of children’s cognitive, social, and emotional abilities in the future. However, many parents still lack an optimal understanding of how play activities can serve as effective stimuli for this developmental aspect. This study aims to explore the meaning of play activities in relation to the sensorimotor development of children aged 2–5 years, from the perspective of parents. Employing a qualitative approach with a phenomenological method, the study delves into the subjective experiences and viewpoints of parents regarding their children’s play activities. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with selected informants using purposive sampling. The findings reveal that most parents view play as a fun activity but are not fully aware of its function as a tool for sensorimotor development. Some parents have implemented play activities that support both fine and gross motor skills, although these are not always conducted in a structured manner. The study concludes that there is a need to enhance parents’ awareness and knowledge of the strategic role of play in supporting children’s growth and development, particularly in the sensorimotor domain. These findings are expected to inform the design of educational programs for parents of toddlers.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yenti Juniarti
AU  - Pupung Puspa Ardinir
AU  - Wiwy Triyanty Pulukadang
AU  - Gilang Ramadan
AU  - Rifda Mardian
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/24
TI  - Exploring the Meaning of Play for Children’s Sensorimotor Development: A Parental Perspective
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Science and Teacher Education (ICESTE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 594
EP  - 602
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-489-1_45
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-489-1_45
ID  - Juniarti2025
ER  -