This study tested the effectiveness of a play-integrated preparatory programme to enhance a smooth transition for children from kindergarten to primary one. A randomized controlled trial was employed and 142 families were recruited. Children in the experimental group experienced greater happiness, fewer worries and lesser difficulty in psychological adjustment than children in the control group, providing evidence that the play-integrated preparatory programme is effective in enhancing a smooth transition for children. Findings from this study promote the awareness in parents and teachers that play is an important part of children’s lives, which is essential for their normal growth and development.
BecherYSingAWN (1997) A New Chapter in Paediatric Health Care: A Research Report to Evaluate Hospital Play Services in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Playright Children’s Playground Association.
2.
ChenXLiuMLiD (2000) Parental warmth, control, and indulgence and their relations to adjustment in Chinese children: A longitudinal study. Journal of Family Psychology14: 401–419.
3.
CohenJ (1992) A power primer. Psychological Bulletin112: 155–159.
4.
DaveyHMBarrattALButowPNDeeksJJ (2007) A one-item question with a Likert or Visual Analog Scale adequately measured current anxiety. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology60: 356–360.
FabianHDunlopA-W (2005) The importance of play in the transition to school. In: MoylesJR (ed.) The Excellence of Play. Berkshire: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill.
7.
FabianHDunlopA-W (2006) Outcomes of good practice in transition processes for children entering primary school. In: FabianHDunlopA-W (eds) Paper commissioned for the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007. Strong foundations: early childhood care and education.
GoodmanR (2001) Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry40(11): 1337–1345.
10.
JanisIL (1958) Psychological Stress. New York: J Wiley.
11.
Lara-MuñozCPoncedeLeonSFeinsteinARPuenteAWellsCK (2004) Comparison of three rating scales for measuring subjective phenomena in clinical research. I. Use of experimentally controlled auditory stimuli. Archives of Medical Research35: 43–48.
12.
LazarusRSFolkmanS (1984) Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: Springer.
13.
LiWHCChungOKJ (2009) The relationship between children’s locus of control and their anticipatory anxiety. Public Health Nursing26(2): 153–160.
14.
LiWHCChungOKJHoKY (2011) The effectiveness of therapeutic play, using virtual reality computer games, in promoting the psychological well-being of children hospitalized with cancer. Journal of Clinical Nursing20: 2135–2143.
15.
LiHCWLopezVLeeTLI (2007) Effects of preoperative therapeutic play on outcomes of school-age children undergoing day surgery. Research in Nursing & Health30: 320–332.
16.
LiHCWChanSLPChungOKJChuiMLM (2010a) Relationships among mental health, self-esteem and physical health in Chinese adolescents: An exploratory study. Journal of Health Psychology15(1): 96–106.
17.
LiWHCChungOKJWongEMLHoKY (2010b) Coping behaviour checklist for Chinese children: Development and psychometric testing. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(7): 1633–1643.
18.
MatsuishiTNaganoMArakiY. (2008) Scale properties of the Japanese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): A study of infant and school children in community sample. Brain & Development30: 410–415.
19.
PiagetJ (1963) The Origins of Intelligence in Children. New York: Norton.
20.
RisoDDSalcuniSChessaDRaudinoALisAAltoeG (2010) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): Early evidence of its reliability and validity in a community sample of Italian children. Personality and Individual Differences49: 570–575.
21.
SandersMRRalphASofronoffK. (2008) Every family: A population approach to reducing behavioral and emotional problems in children making the transition to school. Journal of Primary Prevention29: 197–222.
22.
SuYHRyan-WengerNA (2007) Children’s adjustment to parental cancer: A theoretical model development. Cancer Nursing30(5): 362–381.
23.
TohTHChowSJTingTHSewellJ (2008) Chinese translation of strengths and difficulties questionnaire requires urgent review before field trials for validity and reliability. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric and Mental Health2: 23.
24.
TombMHunterL (2004) Prevention of anxiety in children and adolescents in a school setting: The role of school-based practitioners. Children & School26: 87–101.
25.
WongNC (2003) A study of children’s difficulties in transition to school in Hong Kong. Early Child Development and Care173(1): 83–96.
26.
YaoSZhangCZhuXJingXMcWhinnieCMAbelaJRZ (2009) Measuring adolescent psychopathology: Psychometric properties of the self-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a sample of Chinese adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health45: 55–62.
27.
YeboahDA (2002) Enhancing transition from early childhood phase to primary education: Evidence from the research literature. Early Years22(1): 51–68.
