A cultural-historical study of the development of emotion regulation of children in institutional care in China: A playworld approach

Emotion regulation (ER) is of vital importance during early childhood, but for young children living in institutional care settings like orphanages, ER development is greatly challenged. This study explored whether and how an adult-children imaginative play called playworlds could support ER development in young children in an institution in China. Interactions between the children and adults were filmed as they collectively played in the imaginary space. Findings of this study demonstrates the transformative power of imagination, dramatic moments, and social interactions in play. Thus collective play offers an althernative path of ER development for children in institutional care settings.