Abstract:

The home learning environment is an important predictor of differences in children's academic and social development. This environment includes the implementation of home-based learning activities, the level and types of which are largely decided by parents. Children's participation in learning activities and the quality of parent-child interactions are among the key features of the home learning environment that help to promote children's cognitive and social development. The aim of the present study is to analyze the frequency and types of home learning activities among preschool children in the last year of preschool education. Subsequently, to compare the rates of participation and types of home learning activities in terms of gender and in relation to the different types of preschools attended by these children. The study sample consisted of 881 preschool children, 428 of whom were girls. Data were collected by using a short-form self-report measure of the Home Learning Activities Questionnaire and Parental Sociodemographic Questionnaire. The results showed that the most frequently practiced activities include engaging in daily household activities and playing with toys or board or card games, whereas the least practiced activities are those that children do together with their parents and that may be messy. The level of involvement in terms of gender is statistically significantly different for five of the twelve activities. In terms of the type of Kindergarten attended, a statistically significant difference was found for five of the twelve activities. The frequency of some activities is correlated with each other. There was a close correlation between the frequency of the playing games to learn letters or the alphabet activity and the frequency of the Learning numbers and geometric shapes activity (r = 0.784).

Keywords:

Home learning activities, preschoolers, kindergarten, parents.