Imaginary Companionships in Childhood and Their Impacts on Child Development

Abstract

In the early childhood period, the child gets to know himself and the world through play. Although these games are usually set up with a real friend, sometimes they also include imaginary companions. These companions can sometimes be imaginary human characters, and sometimes toys and objects attributed to human characteristics. Children who have imaginary companions may differ from other children in terms of age, gender, birth order and developmental characteristics. In addition, imaginary companionships in early childhood play an important role in children's social development, emotion regulation and their sense of competence. In this study, it is aimed to discuss the characteristics of children with imaginary companions and the effects of imaginary friends on the development of the child. Key words; early childhood, imaginary companion, play, social development, competence.

Keywords

• early childhood
• imaginary companion
• play
• social development
• competence.

Çocukluk Döneminde Hayali Arkadaşlıklar ve Hayali Arkadaşların Çocuğun Gelişimindeki Yeri

Öz

Erken çocukluk, çocuğun kendini ve dünyayı oyun yoluyla tanıdığı gelişim dönemidir. Çocuk bu dönemde, oyunlarını genellikle gerçek bir arkadaşla kursa da kimi zaman hayali arkadaşlar çocukların oyunlarında gözlemlen bir durumdur. Hayali arkadaşlar bazen hayali olarak oluşturulmuş insan karakterler, bazen ise insan özellikleri atfedilmiş oyuncak ve nesneler olabilmektedir. Hayali arkadaşları olan çocuklar, diğer çocuklara göre yaş, cinsiyet, doğum sırası ve gelişimsel özellikler bakımından farklılaşabilmektedir. Ayrıca erken çocukluk döneminde hayali arkadaşlar, çocukların sosyal gelişim, duygu düzenleme ve yeterlilik duygularında önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, hayali arkadaş, hayali arkadaşları olan çocukların özellikleri ve hayali arkadaşın çocuğun gelişimi üzerindeki etkilerine ilişkin alanyazında yer alan bilgilerin taranarak ele alınması amaçlanmıştır. Anahtar sözcükler; erken çocukluk, hayali arkadaş, oyun, sosyal gelişim, yeterlik

Anahtar Kelimeler

• erken çocukluk
• hayali arkadaş
• oyun
• sosyal gelişim

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