Abstract
This study conducted a survey examining the current situation of the areas of expression of “formative play” in the arts and handicrafts course for elementary schools. The survey was conducted in March 2015 and targeted 203 elementary schools in Sapporo City. Responses were obtained from 40 schools. This survey’s results revealed that the rate of implementation of “formative play” in the upper grades, in particular, was slow. Further, this study discusses this aspect by narrowing down the focus to “formative play” in the textbook guidelines and the textbook itself (Nihon Bunkyou Shuppan). The slow rate of implementation was due to “formative play” in the upper grades being based on the “nature of the relationship” between the children and the relevant objects, and focusing on the children understanding the “conditions” and “making, remaking, and continuing to make” through creative acts. This is different from what occurs in the lower and middle grades; this difference was identified as the cause of the slow implementation rate.
