Summary
This narrative review examines rough-and-tumble play (play fighting and chasing) in human children and comparable play in non-human mammals, synthesising developmental research, comparative biology, and cross-cultural evidence. The authors conclude that RTP experience is functionally important for emotional regulation and learning restraint in potentially competitive or conflictual contexts, though the paper notes that RTP remains ambivalently viewed compared with other forms of play despite its evolutionary conservation and developmental benefits.
UK applicability
The findings may be relevant to UK schools and early years settings, where RTP is often discouraged; however, the abstract does not specify UK-specific data or policy context, so applicability to UK practice would require consultation of the full paper.
Key measures
Definitional and measurement frameworks for RTP; developmental trajectories in humans; cultural variations in RTP prevalence and acceptance; behavioural correlates of RTP engagement
Outcomes reported
This review synthesises research on rough-and-tumble play (RTP) across non-human species and human children, examining developmental trends, measurement approaches, cultural variations, and correlates with adaptive behaviours. The paper reports consistent findings that RTP experience supports emotional control and restraint learning in competitive or conflictual situations.
Topic tags
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