Imaginative play among children in the context of digital gaming: A multicase study of children aged 5-6 years.

Children's play is considered to be an important part of healthy early development, influencing emotions, cognitions, communication, and social skills. However, traditional children's play has been changing during the last few decades, as digital gaming has emerged as a common form of entertainment. Many children are introduced to digital games already during their preschool years. There is a significant lack of scientific research addressing the topic of traditional play characteristics in the context of time spent playing digital games among preschool children. This study aims to conduct a multiple case study to describe the trends, similarities, and differences in different aspects of traditional play across three groups of children: those who engage in digital gaming for periods exceeding two hours per day, those whose digital gaming engagement is limited to less than two hours per day, and those with no digital gaming exposure. Data will be collected in Slovak kindergartens using standardized questionnaires, such as My Child´s Play for parents, RALLA Play skills assessment for teachers, and the standardized observation Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment.