Developmental play-based assessment in early childhood education: a systematic review

This systematic review aims to identify the dimensions operationalized in different instruments that assess the developmental domains in Early Childhood Education through play. Research between 2015 and 2021 that dealt with quantitative developmental assessment instruments from 2 to 7 years of age were included. Instruments without psychometric properties or clinical use were excluded. Fifty-six studies were analysed. Forty-one instruments published between 1981 and 2020 were identified, of which 32 assessed the effects of play interventions, and nine used games. Seven studied the psychomotor domain, five the socioemotional, and 19 the cognitive. The results show the need for an interdisciplinary play-based developmental assessment instrument for Early Childhood Education, which can be used by teachers to guide teaching and learning processes focused on developmentally appropriate practices, and by the fields of research and psychopedagogy.