From educational work to companionship: Juxtaposing adults’ and children’s perspectives on work and play in early childhood

Abstract

The paper draws on ethnographic study and goes beyond dualistic understanding of work and play to investigate the complex world of social interactions among preschoolers. While adults viewed work as an educational process through which children’s personalities are shaped in a desired way, the children perceived work as a means of social interactions. Building on the theoretical framework of sociality and intersubjectivity, the paper suggests that work, play and learning can represent complementary aspects of human existence and living.