Mother–Child Play Explained by Mothers’ Parenting Style and Children's Temperament

Abstract

This study explored how mother–child play interactions are shaped by the interplay between parenting style and child temperament. Mothers of preschool-aged children completed measures of parental style and child temperament, from which six pairs were selected to represent distinct style–temperament combinations. Each pair participated in three videorecorded play sessions, totaling 338 min. Authoritative and authoritarian mothers interacted with their children in similar ways regardless of temperament. In these interactions, difficult-temperament children often acted as instructors, whereas easy-temperament children were more collaborative. Overprotective mothers varied their approach by temperament, with the overprotective–difficult pair showing more instructive strategies. Play durations also differed, with easy temperament children playing longer and the authoritarian–difficult pair engaging the least. Findings are considered in relation to the specific mother–child play patterns observed, with suggestions for fostering responsive, child-led interactions that encourage collaborative engagement.