The effects of purposeful play after shared storybook readings on kindergarten children's reading comprehension, creativity, and language skills and abilities

This project explored the effects of purposeful play after shared storybook readings on kindergarten children's reading comprehension, creativity, and language abilities. The participants were 42 (26 boys, 16 girls) culturally diverse kindergarten students attending an urban, public school in the northeastern United States. Some children (13) were bilingual or English Language Learners (Spanish and English). First, children completed the Alternative Use Test to assess creativity. Second, children participated in a story reading. Children in the control group received no play; the play group received a 10-minute play period to interact with story related props and finger puppets. Third, children drew the characters and settings they remembered and completed a reading comprehension assessment. Finally, all children completed a language test. Findings revealed that purposeful play had a positive effect on children's reading comprehension and language tests scores although not on creativity. Our findings support the benefits of purposeful play in young children's school learning experiences.