Nikolay N. Veresov

Background. Sociodramatic play is widely recognized as a leading activity in early childhood development, yet a persistent gap exists between its theoretical value and systematic implementation in educational practice. In this review we use the term as an umbrella construct for educator-supported collective pretend play defined by four criteria: (1) enactment of explicit roles, (2) interaction between roles rather than solitary pretense, (3) an unfolding narrative storyline, and (4) collective participation sustaining a joint imaginary situation.

Objective. To identify pedagogical approaches to implementing sociodramatic play, to map required teacher competencies, to synthesize implementation barriers, and to document outcomes for children and educators.

Design. Following PRISMA guidelines, searches were conducted across ScienceDirect and PubMed, supplemented by hand-searching and expert consultation. Studies were eligible if they involved educator-led collective sociodramatic play with children aged 3–7 in Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings. Narrative synthesis was conducted across 27 studies (35 papers) from 10 countries.

Results. Five implementation approaches were identified and systematically characterized. Child outcomes across content acquisition, developmental progress, and play maturity were broadly positive across diverse international contexts, despite null findings in some studies. A multidimensional teacher competency profile was identified and implementation barriers were multilevel: personal, pedagogical, and systemic.

Conclusion. Effective implementation requires performative and reflective competencies distinct from conventional teaching skills, which may explain persistent low confidence among educators. Widespread adoption demands pedagogically accessible approaches supported by sustained professional development and systemic infrastructure.

Background. Recent data indicate an increase in speech difficulties and a decline in narrative competence among today’s preschool children. Therefore, identifying effective methods to support the development of narrative competence is a pressing and relevant challenge.

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using PlayWorld interventions in fostering narrative competence in preschool children.

Design. The study involved 90 children aged 5–6 years and compared: (1) PlayWorld—a form of joint child-adult pretend play based on a fairy tale plot, (2) free pretend play, and (3) a control group. The research employed a randomised controlled trial design. Children’s narratives were assessed using the “MAIN: Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives”, focusing on word count, speech rate, and both macrostructure (semantic level) and microstructure (lexical-grammatical level) of narrative production.

Results. The results revealed that children receiving PlayWorld interventions significantly improved their macro- and microstructure of narratives, whereas in free pretend play children improved only the macrostructure of narratives. Children in the control group showed significant decline of scores for the macrostructure of narratives.

Conclusion. The findings revealed that PlayWorld interventios are an effective approach for developing narrative competence. The use of cultural texts and adult involvement in pretend play are important complementary factors that enhance the developmental impact of pretend play. The findings contribute to a more precise understanding of how pretend play supports narrative development and may have both theoretical and practical implications for future research and educational practice.

Background. Today’s common typologies and categories of children’s toys are mainly decided by the manufacturers and retailers of children's products. Such categorizations are not based on a theoretical understanding of child development and therefore cannot provide information about the opportunities that toys provide for the young.

Objective. This study proposed three criteria for categorizing toys based on the cultural-historical approach: their degree of realism; their degree of anthropomorphism; and their degree of detail. These criteria were chosen as a result of an analysis of theoretical works carried out in the framework of cultural-historical approach.

Design. The proposed criteria were tested through an experiment measuring children's toy preferences. The participants were 129 children of ages 3-4 years. Experimental data confirmed that most children do prefer realistic and detailed toys rather than those with fewer of these properties. The contribution of socio-demographic factors and the children’s individual developmental indicators to their toy preference was also analyzed.

Results. The study revealed that among various socio-demographic factors, only the child’s gender and the number of siblings in the family acted as significant predictors for the toy preferences. None of child's developmental characteristics (non-verbal intelligence, executive functions, and emotional understanding) were found to be significant predictors of preference for particular toys.

Conclusions. The assumption that toys can be assessed in terms of their realism and degree of detail found empirical support. The results of this study may be useful in designing further research and in the practical issue of toy selection for children age 3-4 years.