Effect of the Partners in Play Intervention on Parents’ Autonomy-Supportive Guiding Behaviour and Children’s Self-Regulation

Editorial reading guide · Independence

When I join a game, can my child still decide what to try next?

This article examines whether a play intervention changes how parents guide children and how children regulate behaviour. The independence lens asks which demands children can already manage and where practice or adult support still matters.

Who was studied?

Twenty-one parent–child pairs taking part in the Partners in Play trial.

Age / stage: Early childhood

Read with three questions

1. What does the article establish about whether a play intervention changes how parents guide children and how children regulate behaviour?
2. What did the comparison group receive, and did the outcome measure daily practice or reported attitudes?
3. How closely does the population described here match the family or setting you have in mind? The population to compare is twenty-one parent–child pairs taking part in the Partners in Play trial.

Keep the limits in view

Only 21 parent–child pairs took part. A programme effect in this trial cannot establish what happens in larger groups or outside the play sessions.