Parental Influence on Play and Creativity Levels of Preschool Children in India

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of parent-related variables including age, education, income, job, and time spent with children, and different components of PAAT including creativity, play, frustration, control, and teaching/learning on play and creativity levels of preschool children. This research was a survey-correlational study and participants were 180 preschool children and their parents selected from different schools in Mysore city, South of India. Parents filled in the Parents as a Teacher Inventory (PAAT) and children took part in Movement Monitoring Tests (MMT). The results of regression analysis showed that only the income of parents had a significant influence on preschool children with a high level of play and creativity. Other finding indicated that the influence of the mother’s age, education, income, occupation, and time spent with the child is found to exist only in the group of children with a high level of play and creativity.  The findings also revealed that the influence of mothers’ attitudes toward parenting connected with creativity, play, frustration, control, and teaching/learning is found to exist in the group of children with low and high levels of play and creativity.