Fathers and young children at play: A scoping review of studies of fathers’ play with sons and daughters from birth to preschool

Authors

• Claire D. Vallotton, Michigan State University
• Tricia Foster, Eastern Michigan University
• Tamesha Harewood, Michigan State University
• Jody Cook, Michigan State University
• Anike R. Adekoya, Michigan State University

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2020

Department/School

Health Sciences

Publication Title

Handbook of Fathers and Child Development: Prenatal to Preschool

Abstract

Fathers play many roles in the lives of their young children, including provider, caregiver, teacher, and playmate. The effects of father figures’ play and playful interactions with young children are thought to affect child development in unique ways. We use a systematic literature review of observational studies to describe variation in the qualities of father-child play and playful interactions between the prenatal period and child age 5 years. We contrast these qualities to mothers’ play and playful interactions and examine differences between fathers’ interactions with sons and daughters. Finally, we describe the quality and quantity of current evidence and discuss gaps in the literature.

Comments

T. Foster is a faculty member in EMU's School of Health Sciences.

Recommended Citation

Vallotton, C. D., Foster, T., Harewood, T., Cook, J., & Adekoya, A. R. (2020). Fathers and young children at play: A scoping review of studies of fathers’ play with sons and daughters from birth to preschool. In H. E. Fitzgerald, K. von Klitzing, N. J. Cabrera, J. Scarano de Mendonça, & T. Skjøthaug (Eds.), Handbook of fathers and child development: Prenatal to preschool (pp. 357–391). Springer International. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51027-5_22