Conclusion: The Development of Playfulness
and the Importance of Setting
I have argued that the concepts of transgression and novelty are intertwined with
playfulness. In this study, when children suggested something new within the
play scenario without questioning the rules of the play but instead attempting
to avoid challenging their own rules or rules set by others, they did not develop
the play scenario; at most, they elaborated on the existing play scenario. *e
elaboration deepened the scenario and made the rules explicit and more de(ned
but rarely added new aspects. Such an approach was typical for the creativeconstruction
groups.
*e situation in which one child or a few children lead or plan the play
indicates a change in the dynamic with respect to the ways in which other children’s
transgressions function to con(rm play rules through rejection in the
creative-construction groups. Here, transgressions function by clarifying the
rules and play criteria, leading to a more well-de(ned play scenario that includes
more explicit rules (although these rules are de(ned negatively). In accordance
with the signi(cant measures found in the quantitative data analysis, groups
that played with social-fantasy toys employed more object-meaning acts and
imaginative suggestions within the play scenarios. *is (nding contrasts with
the (ndings for the children who played with creative-construction toys. *e
latter group of children used a large part of their play sessions to focus on the
sphere of staging and explicating the rules and goals of the play scenario. *e
creative-construction groups were more engaged in negotiations and remained
focused on the sphere of staging during play. In this case, the coordination of
plans with others was not part of a shared imaginative scenario but was directed
by only a few children. *e (ndings presented here demonstrate that the children
remained focused on dierent spheres depending on the type of toy with which
they played. *e children who engaged in creative-construction play referred
to the goals, rules, and regulations of the play during negotiation, whereas the
children who played with social-fantasy toys developed the rules of the play scenario
rather than referring to the existing rules. Activities such as social-fantasy
play call attention to the negotiation of creative initiatives while retaining a focus
on the shared scenario. Compared with play activities that are not focused on
children’s initiatives, social-fantasy play activities support creative imagination.
Drawing on the results, I propose that playful transgressions in transformative
play can be related to creating a sense of a situation as one’s own. *is