Bridging the gap: parent-child play interaction and peer interactive competence.

A multimeasure, multicontext study of the relationship between father-child and mother-child play and children's competence with preschool peers was conducted. 13 boys and 14 girls, ages 3-4 years, and their parents participated. Children were videotaped while playing with each parent separately for 20 min in their homes. Children's social competence with their peers was independently evaluated by 3 measures: (1) rankings of preschool teachers of popularity with peers, (2) Q-sort ratings of children's competence by their teachers, and (3) assessments of social interaction with 3 different preschool peers on separate occasions. Differential patterns of maternal and paternal behavior were associated with the social competence of boys and girls. Paternal physical play, engagement, and maternal verbal behavior were positively related to children's peer relations, especially for boys. Paternal directiveness was negatively related to popularity for boys and girls, while maternal directiveness was positively linked with popularity for girls. Opportunities for learning to regulate affect are hypothesized to contribute to these relationships. The study illustrates the linkages between family and peer social systems.