Lotta bara bråkar : en utforskande essä om leken och dess förutsättningar

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this essay is to explore why some children are having a hard time playing together with other children, while others have the ability to play for a long time without interruptions due to conflicts. The stepping stone to this essay has been my thoughts concerning play, which has been inspired foremost by Birgitta Knutsdotter Olofsson. The essay starts with two stories about two children, one of whom is having particular difficulties playing with other kids without getting into conflict. From these examples I turn to three different play theories: play as communication (Bateson and Olofsson), play as transition (Winnicott) and play as developement (Vygotskij). Thereafter comes a reflection, where I examine my stories from the viewpoint of these three theories. But to be able to give the whole picture of play and its conditions, comes another section of theory concerning peer cultures and empathy. The essay then continues into an overlapping reflection, where I scrutinize and critically question my own actions from all these theories. This critical reflection emanates from my own experiences and observations and is also turned against the ways us teachers are acting in general. Working with the essay has given me many new thoughts in how to work with children, such as the importance of being aware of childrens peer cultures, but above all pinpointing on the importance of a present teacher.