Parental Attitudes and Beliefs Surrounding Play Among Predominantly Low-income Urban Families: A Qualitative Study.
Reshma Shah, Erika Gustafson, Marc Atkins
PMID 31335583WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of young children said play mattered for bonding, but many believed educational toys or media, not their own interaction, taught language and school readiness.
Time, work, fatigue and lack of ideas blocked play; they wanted reminders and routine-friendly suggestions.
Key findings
01Parents viewed play as important for bonding, but they saw toys and media, rather than their own interaction, as the route to developmental and language benefits.
02Barriers to play were time from household and work demands, fatigue, lack of knowledge about play's importance, and media use.
03Parents asked for reminders and practical ideas for play, including ways to fit it into daily tasks.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The findings come from 35 English-speaking caregivers recruited from one urban primary care clinic serving low-income families, so they may not represent other parents, settings, or languages. The study asked what parents believed about play; it did not measure how much parents actually played or what children learned. Because it is qualitative, it cannot show whether educational toys or media help or harm speech, language, or development.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that educational toys or media improve language, or as proof that parent-child interaction does not help language. The study recorded parents' beliefs about play; it did not measure children's speech, language, or learning outcomes.