Abstract
In order for “material play” to become more firmly established in school practice, it is necessary to clarify the connection between materials and children’s actions, as one way to supplement teachers’ understanding of concrete instructional processes. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify, through classroom practice, how materials elicit and develop children’s actions, and to present a perspective that connects materials and actions. An analysis of first-grade children observed in elementary art classes using paper cups and plastic bottle lids revealed that the characteristics and properties of these materials elicited and expanded the children’s actions. Nine common elements were identified across the two materials: “shape,” “color,” “material quality,” “flexibility/inflexibility in terms of development or change,” “accumulation of experience,” “quantity,” “relationship with the body,” “combinations of actions,” and “group (collaborative) nature.” These elements were found to help explain the connection between the materials and the children’s actions. The findings suggest that these “elements for developing actions” can be used as a useful reference for selecting materials that foster deeper engagement in “material play.”
