Abstract:
Play has found little, if any acceptance in most of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers in Homa Bay Sub -County. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine the influence of pretend play on pre-school children’s holistic development. The study employed correlation research design. Two sets of questionnaires were used to gather information from the Managers/Head teachers and Pre-School teachers while an observation checklist was used to establish the presence of pretend play materials and their use in learning. Inferential statistics involved Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Qualitative data was analyzed through descriptive statistics which comprised of percentages, means, frequency tables and value judgment. The findings are significant to stakeholders, mainly pre-school Teachers, Managers/Head teachers and parents in that it may change their perception about pre-school children’s pretend play. Pre-School curriculum developers and supervisors, especially KICD and MoE would also find the study useful in designing pre-school curriculum to incorporate more pretend play time to enhance holistic development of pre- school children.
