







































 

 

 

 

 

Integrating Games into Picture Books to Facili-

tate the Development of Social Emotions in Pre-

schoolers: An Empirical Study on the Positive 

Effects of Game-Combined Guided Reading of 

Picture Books on Social Emotional Development 

in Preschoolers

Juzhe Xi, Wenying Zhou, Zhihong Zuo

East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China 

 

Abstract. This 6-week experimental study aimed to examine the effects of 
game-combined guided reading of picture books on children’s social 

emotional development. Pre- and post-test design was used among a 

sample of 81 children and their parents from 3 senior classes in a 
Shanghai public kindergarten. The participants were divided into five 

groups: guided reading group, self-reading group, reading-with-
listening group, and two control groups. In both pre- and post-tests, 

children’s parents were administered measurement “The Scale of School 

Readiness in Emotional and Social Areas for Children”. The guided 

reading group was asked to read picture books by following the instruc-

tions, the self-reading group read the picture books by themselves, while 

in the reading-with-listening group, the investigator read the stories out 
loud to the children and pointed to the text. The two control groups did 

not read picture books, and the second control group was mainly used to 
investigate the effects of the pre-test. The results indicated that all types 

of reading had significant effects on the improvement of children’s so-

cial-emotional development with difference across the groups. The 
game-combined guided reading had more significant effects on chil-

dren’s interpersonal relationships and self-awareness development than 

the other two reading styles, but the effect on children’s moral develop-
ment was at the statistically marginal level and was significantly higher 

in the other groups. Our data suggest that picture book reading is effec-
tive in promoting children’s social-emotional development. Further-

more, game-combined guided reading is suitable for children’s psycho-

logical characteristics, and has much greater promoting effects on their 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No.1, 2019 306 

social-emotional development. If adults could add mini games to the 

reading, it would enhance children’s positive experience and contribute 
to their social-emotional development. 

Best Evid Chin Edu 2019; 3(1):305-320. 

Doi: 10.15354/bece.19.ar1076 

Keywords: Game; Picture Books; Reading; Social Development, Social-Emotional 

Development; Kindergarten Senior Class 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Correspondence to: Zhihong Zuo, Associate Professor, Department of Preschool Education, Faculty of Education, 

East China Normal University, China; Email: zuozhihong@126.com. 

About the Author Juzhe Xi, Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, School of Psychology and Cognitive 

Science, East China Normal University, China; Email: jzxi@psy.ecnu.edu.cn. 

Wenying Zhou, Graduate Student, Department of Applied Psychology, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, 

East China Normal University, China; Email: ecnuzhouwenying@163.com. 

Conflict of Interests: None. 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 307 

S an important component of psychological development, social development 

has aroused increasing attention. Since early 1930s, Western scholars have 

begun to study social development in children that regarded children as active 

participants in social activities rather than passive socialized individuals. Freud’s theory 

of personality, Vygotsky’s cultural-historical psychology, and Meade’s Cultural Deter-

minism were considered the three most important theoretical bases of children’s social 

development (Chen, 1994). Since the 1980s, the term ‘social’ has been recognized in 

preschool and school-aged education in China (Shi, 1994). From the mid-1980s, the 

focus of preschool education has shifted from intelligence development to children’s 

overall development. Since the mid and late 1990s, quality-oriented education and the 

cultivation of children’s sociality have been strongly promoted. 

Social development is not only an important part of children’s psychological 

development, but also the foundation of healthy personality and social adaptation ability. 

The Guidelines for Kindergarten Education (Trial Version) issued by the Ministry of 

Education of China in 2001 stated that the purpose of social development in preschool 

children is to build up their ‘willingness to communicate, learn, cooperate and share, 

and compassion for others’. Social development can facilitate children’s formation of 

multi-dimensional and multi-level psychological structure, shapes their personality 

structure of agreeableness and intelligence, and builds up their morals of gregariousness 

and harmony (Liu, 2010). Children with such social competence are likely to under-

stand social norms, master life skills, manage interpersonal relationships and adapt to 

social life (Yang & Wu, 2001). A nationwide survey showed that promoting children’s 

social and emotional development helped reduce the occurrence of behavioral problems 

(Lian et al., 2008). 

Emotion is one of the four most important factors in children’s socio-

psychological structure and a core field in their social development (Chen, 1994; Shaf-

fer & Kipp, 2013). Social-emotional development, as a critical component of children’s 

social development, is particularly important to preschool children (Pahl, 2007). Social-

emotional development refers to the generation of emotions with social significance in 

the process of interpersonal communication and social behavior feedback on the basis 

of primitive emotions (Meng, 1989). Children with high levels of social-emotional de-

velopment tend to be more confident, have better peer relationships and more coopera-

tive spirit, and be more capable of managing and regulating emotions, solving conflicts 

and promoting interpersonal communication and social adaptation (Cunningham, et al., 

2009; Mandez, et al., 2002). In contrast, children who have difficulties in social-

emotional development tend to demonstrate poor performance in school life, peer rela-

tionships and academic learning (Aviles, 2005; Harniss, 1999). The transition from kin-

dergarten to elementary school is a crucial stage of overall development in preschool 

children. Therefore, this stage requires special attention (Chen, 2008). The main task of 

social development in preschool children is to have emotional interaction and maintain 

positive social interaction. It is imperative to prepare preschool children to have social-

emotional development in accordance with the purpose of social development stated in 

A 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 308 

the Guidelines for Kindergarten Education (Trial Version) so that the children may have 

a better transition from kindergarten to elementary school. 

Picture books are suitable materials for preschool children. The effects of pic-

ture book reading on children’s development have aroused great attention. High quality 

picture books do not only deliver knowledge, but also inspire courage, sow hope, and 

cultivate children’s temperament (Geng, 2010). The results of previous empirical re-

search suggested that picture books play a significant role in promoting children’s so-

cial-emotional development. For example, picture book reading can effectively promote 

the development of children’s social interaction and moderate their challenging behav-

iors (Zuo, et al. 2012). It promoted children’s self-perception, interpersonal relation-

ships and understanding of social regulations (Zhang & Zeng, 2016). In addition, read-

ing picture books could encourage pro-social behaviors and improved social adaptabil-

ity in preschool children (Du, 2015; Yang, et al., 2014). The existing empirical studies 

on the use of picture books had provided enlightenment and directions for social-

emotional development education in children (Liu, S., 2003; Xie, 2003). 

In addition to picture book reading, playing games is also a crucial way to sup-

port children’s social-emotional development (He & Liu, 1999; Zhou, 1990). Vygotsky 

maintained that playing games is a purposeful and conscious social activity among chil-

dren (Lv, 2006). For example, sports games can improve social interactions, help free 

children from self-centered traits, and cultivate positive emotions and healthy psycho-

logical quality (Yang, 2002). Role-playing games can reinforce pro-social behaviors, 

improve social cognition, and promote peer interaction and cooperation (Duan, 2010). 

Moreover, autonomous games can promote the development of social cognition, social 

emotions, social skills, social morality and self-awareness (Meng, 2014). 

In summary, the combination of picture book reading with game playing in the 

kindergarten curriculum is a new and worthwhile topic. For example, Jiangsu Provincial 

Department of Education launched a Gamification Course program in 2014, aiming to 

guide kindergartens to set up correct views on children, games and curriculum (Cao, 

2016). In Sun’s (2017) study of early childhood reading in the context of gamification 

curriculum, picture book stories were put through into children’s daily life in the form 

of games. The Picture Books Game Course was developed on the basis of the holistic 

function of picture book reading. Fei (2016) and Leng (2017) explored new ways of 

using picture books and new models of picture-book-based education so that the overall 

development in children could be promoted. Kindergarten teachers integrated perfor-

mance games into activities of picture book reading to stimulate children’s abilities to 

perform and comprehend reading materials. This method assumed that picture books 

are a critical carrier of children’s experiencing of games (Peng, 2016). Fang (2012) 

maintained that picture books contain game elements in the perspectives of form, con-

tent and usage. Therefore, the combination of picture book reading with games can fa-

cilitate children’s understanding better of the material (Guo, 2015). Previous study indi-

cated that gamified electronic picture books which integrate the characteristics of games 

into learning materials can improve students’ concentration and interest in learning 

(Chen, 2017). In spite of the existing literature that suggested many benefits of combin-



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 309 

ing picture book reading with games, concise and instructive curriculum frameworks 

for educators are rare. Such frameworks are crucial for educators to grasp the essentials 

quickly and generate an educational system which integrates games into picture book 

reading. 

This study developed a mode of game-combined guided reading of picture 

books, which integrated picture book reading and games. During the reading process, 

thought provoking and guiding approaches were applied, different levels of questions 

were asked, and story related mini-games were designed. In the process of game-

combined guided reading of picture books, children’s initiative was paid full respect. 

The investigators used different approaches to encourage the children to participate in 

discussions and used various methods to stimulate children’s motivation. The goal was 

to help children to connect their existing life experiences and knowledge to the content 

of the story. Thought provoking questions were used to guide them to think, and to cul-

tivate their skills of anticipation, hypothesizing, questioning, and reflection. Role-play, 

sports games and action mimicking were utilized to internalize and consolidate chil-

dren’s social-emotional knowledge, and to enhance their social-emotional skills. The 

purpose of this study is to examine whether this innovative reading method, in compari-

son to traditional methods of picture book reading (e.g., self-reading, reading-with-

listening), could improve children’s social-emotional development through participation 

and enriched experience of picture books. 

Methods 

Sample  

A volunteer sample of 81 preschool children including 47 boys (58.02%) and 34 girls 

(41.98%), and their parents were the participants of this study. All the children were 

from a senior class of a public kindergarten in Shanghai where social-emotional devel-

opment curriculum was not offered. All participants were under the ‘equivalent condi-

tions’. We herein define ‘equivalent conditions’ as no significant difference in age, 

physiological development, and parent-and-child shared reading (e.g., attitude, frequen-

cy and time). Prior to the experiment, all participants were randomly divided into five 

groups. An analysis of single factor ANOVA for social-emotional development was 

conducted with all five groups of participants. The results indicate that there were no 

significant differences in the first four groups of social-emotional scores (F(3,63) = 0.93 

-2.44, p > 0.05). The fifth group did not participate in the pre-test. There were no signif-

icant differences in age among each group (F(4,76) = 0.68, p = 0.957). As shown in the 

Table 1, there were no statistically significant differences in terms of gender in each 

group (2
(df = 4, N = 47) = 3.54, p = 0.473).  

Tools and Materials 

Outlines for Game-Combined Guided Reading of Picture Books 

 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 310 

Table 1. Participants’ Demographic Information. 

Group Number Boy (n) Girl (n) 
Average Age (mo) 
(M ±SD) 

Guided Reading Group 19 13 6 73.00 ± 3.39 

Self-Reading Group 16 9 7 72.55 ± 2.95 

Reading-with-Listening Group 19 9 10 72.60 ± 4.47  

Control Group 1 13 6 7 72.40 ± 4.44 

Control Group 2 14 10 4 72.33 ± 3.11 

Note: The purpose of setting up Control Group 2 was to examine the effect of pretest. 

 

 

 

The reading materials were selected from The Way I Feel series of picture book by Cor-

nelia Maude Spelman. The author was a therapist with children and families before 

turning full-time to writing and art. The reading materials included seven common so-

cial-emotional themes for preschool children: happiness, feeling scared, sadness, jeal-

ousy, self-confidence, missing someone, and empathy (see Table 2).  

Measurement of Social-Emotional Development 

This study used Yang’s (2015) “the Scale of School Readiness in Emotional and Social 

Areas for Children”, which was developed on the basis of the Five-Domain Model of 

School Readiness, Child Behavior Checklist and Child Social Development Scale with-

in the Chinese cultural context. From Yang’s scale, 44 items were selected. The chil-

dren’s parents were asked to indicate their children’s performance in the aspects of in-

terpersonal relationships (e.g., taking the initiative to play games with others), morals 

(e.g., never destroying plants and flowers or harming small animals), and self-

awareness (e.g., using appropriate approaches to realize personal wishes). Responses 

were on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from ‘completely disagree’ to ‘complete-

ly agree’. The internal consistency coefficients demonstrate satisfactory psychometric 

properties (interpersonal relationships ( = 0.881), morals ( = 0.898), self-awareness 

( = 0.830) and overall ( = 0.864)).  

Procedure 

As shown in the Figure 1, this study included three stages: pre-test, experimental de-

sign implementation, and post-test. The pre-test was to understand participant children’s 

conditions of emotional development, select appropriate picture books, and make read-

ing plans. The pre- and post-test utilized the same measurement. A team of university 

students who had received standardized training in advance implemented the experi-

ment. Only one chief investigator was in charge of all the experiments in all five groups. 

This was to minimize experimenter bias. The guided reading group was provided with 

instructions in reading the game-combined picture books. Children in the self-reading 

group read the materials by themselves. In the reading-with-listening group, the chief 

investigator pointed to the texts while reading the story out loud, and the participant 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 311 

 

 

 

children listened to the story. The two control groups did not read picture books, and the 

second control group was only used to examine the pre-test effects. Children in the 

three experimental groups read picture books twice a week, 15-20 minutes each time, 

for a period of 6 weeks according to the setting of each experimental group. 

Data Analysis and Results 

Significance Tests on Children’s Social-Emotional Developmental 

Changes in Each Group 

 

The data of post-test from control groups 1 and 2 were compared. The results showed 

that there was no significant difference between the two groups (ps >.410). This finding 

indicated that receiving pre-test did not have impact on the participants’ post-test results. 

Therefore, possible interference of the pre-test on the experimental results could be ex-

cluded. As shown in the Table 3, the results of pre- and post-test comparisons showed 

Table 2. Outlines for Game-Combined Guided Reading of Pic-

ture Books. 

Guided 
Reading of 
Game 
Combined 
Picture 
Books  

Introduction Themes 

Appropriate Reading Age 

Story Topic 

Picture Book Introduction Cover & Back Cover 

Front Lining & Title Page 

Guided Reading  Appropriate 
Guiding Behaviors 

Thought Provoking Questions 

Guiding Questions 

Experience Sharing 

Mini Games 

Action Mimicking 

Role Play 

Inappropriate 
Guiding Behaviors 

Assigned Reading Materials 

Distraction, Perfunctoriness 

Literacy 

Lecturing in the Process 

Post Reading Summary Sharing  

Craft Work 

Mini-Games 

Conclusion 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 312 

Table 3. Descriptive Statistics of Children’s Social-Emotional 

Developmental Changes (M ± SD). 
Experimental 

Groups  

Interpersonal 

Relationship Moral 

Self 

Awareness 

Guided Reading Group 
 (n = 19) 

Pre-test 40.53 ± 4.58 45.95 ± 3.29 60.95 ± 6.10 

Post-test 55.32 ± 4.36 57.26 ± 4.72 76.00 ± 6.31 

Self-reading Group 
(n = 16) 

Pre-test 41.69 ± 3.44 44.06 ± 4.12 61.88 ± 6.31 

Post-test 51.69 ± 3.26 52.81 ±4.22 73.25 ± 3.86 

Reading-with-Listening  
Group (n = 19) 

Pre-test 42.58 ± 7.40 46.89 ± 2.81 63.53 ± 8.66 

Post-test 50.89 ± 3.56 54.58 ± 4.21 72.68 ± 5.93 

Control Group 1 
(n = 13) 

Pre-test 43.46 ± 4.05 46.46 ± 2.44 65.23 ± 5.93 

Post-test 50.31 ± 4.11 54.54 ± 4.03 69.69 ± 4.99 

 

 

 

significant improvement in all three aspects of interpersonal relationships, moral, and 

self-awareness among the four groups of participants (t = 2.27 − 13.91, p <.05). 

Significance Tests on Children’s Social-Emotional Developmental 

Changes among Different Groups 

The above findings suggested that the four groups of participants who had shown no 

significant difference in the pre-test had developmental changes in social emotions after 

completing their respective picture book reading tasks. As shown in the Table 4, a re-

peated ANOVA on the scores of three social emotions (interpersonal relationships, 

moral and self-awareness) by 4 factors (four groups: guided reading group, self-reading 

group, reading-with-listening group, and control group 1) × 2 stages (two stages: pre-

test and post-test) was conducted. This was to examine the effects of guided picture 

book reading. The results showed that in the aspect of interpersonal relationships, the 

interaction effects within and between subjects reached the level of statistical signifi-

cance (F(3,63) = 5.61, p = 0.002, η
2
p = 0.211). In the aspect of moral, the interaction 

effects within and between subjects reached the marginal level of statistical significance 

(F(3,63) = 2.42, p =0.075 <0.10, η
2
p = 0.075). For self-awareness, the interaction effects 

within and between subjects reached the extreme level of statistical significance (F(3,63) 

= 6.28, p = 0.001, η
2
p = 0.230). 

As shown in the Figure 2, the mean deviation among the four groups in all 

three aspects (i.e., interpersonal relationships, moral, and self-awareness) was compared. 

It was found that the improvements within the guided reading group were especially 

significant, i.e., the scores in all three aspects were higher than that of the reading-with-

listening group and the control group 1, and also significantly higher than that of the 

self-reading group in the aspect of interpersonal relationships (p < 0.05).  

Simple effects tests on all three aspects were conducted. As shown in the Table 

5, the results indicated that participants’ performance in the post-test were significantly 

different among groups in the aspects of interpersonal relationships and self-awareness 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 313 

Table 4. Effects of Changes in Children’s Social-Emotional With-

in Subjects, Between Subjects and Interactive Effects of Within 

Subjects & Between Subjects. 

Source of 
Variation 

Statistical 
Indicators 

Interpersonal 
Relationship Moral 

Self 
Awareness 

Within Subjects × 

Between Subjects 

F (3, 63) 5.61** 2.42
†
 6.28** 

p 0.002 0.075 0.001 

η
2

p
 

0.211 0.103 0.230 

Within Subjects F (3, 63) 178.76*** 258.97*** 135.10*** 

p <.001 <.001 <.001 

η
2

p 0.739 0.804 0.682 

Between Subjects F (3, 63) 0.52 3.18* 0.13 

p 0.674 0.030 0.941 

η
2

p 0.024 0.132 0.006 

Note: 
†
p <0.10, *p < 0.05, **p <0.01, ***p < 0.001. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 5. Group Differences and Repeat Measure of Simple Ef-

fects Tests. 

Origins of Differences 
Interpersonal 
Relationships Morals 

Self 
Awareness 

 F η
2

p F η
2

p F η
2

p 

Guided Reading Group × pre-
test and post-test 

113. 
89*** 

0.644 120.11*** 0.656 88.74*** 0.585 

Self-Reading Group × pre-test 
and post-test 

43.85*** 0.410 60.48*** 0.490 42.67*** 0.404 

Reading-with-Listening Group × 
pre-test and post-test 

36.01*** 0.364 55.39*** 0.468 32.84*** 0.343 

Control group 1 × pre-test and 
post-test 

16.70*** 0.210 41.87*** 0.399 5.33* 0.078 

Differences within Group × Pre-
Test 

0.93 0.042 2.44† 0.104 1.14 0.052 

Differences within Group × Post-
Test 

6.03** 0.223 3.19* 0.132 3.20* 0.132 

Note: 
†
p <0.10, *p < 0.05, **p <0.01, ***p < 0.001. 

 

 

 

 

 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 314 

Figure 1. Experiment Procedure. 

 

 

 

 

(p < 0.001). The results of comparisons among Tables 3 and 4 and Figure 2 indicate 

that there were more significant improvements in social-emotional development within 

the guided reading group than in other groups. 

Discussion 

Game-Combined Guided Reading of Picture Books Is More Effective in 

Promoting Children’s Social-Emotional Development 

As shown in the Figure 2, after the 6-week experiment, the social-emotional develop-

ment levels in the entire participant children have been improved. The experiment be-

gan during the second semester in a kindergarten’s senior class, where the courses and 

activities related to the transition from kindergarten to elementary school were conduct-

ed. The children in the control groups also had a significant improvement in their level 

of self-awareness as their age increased. The fastest development stage was 4−8 years 

old (Ran, 1994). All the participant children in this study were exactly on this stage. 

Therefore, their self-awareness was developing rapidly in a positive trend. The interac-

tion within and between subjects (see Table 4) suggested that game-combined guided 

 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 315 

Figure 2. Comparison of Mean Deviation (MD) among Groups. 

 

Note: *the result reached statistical significance. 

 

 

 

reading of picture books plays a greater role in promoting children’s social-emotional 

development. 

Children’s self-awareness reflects their understanding of the surrounding envi-

ronment and their position in the society. It is an crucial prerequisite for socialization 

and personality improvement. Self-awareness affects children’s social behavior and 

social adaptation (Wang, et al, 2011; Yang, 2014). Self-awareness is not innate. Instead, 

it is formed in the interactions with the objective social environment (Xu & Qu, 2001). 

Children start to develop their awareness of social roles as well as their mind after their 

second year in kindergarten. In this study, through the activities of picture book reading, 

self-portrait, ‘praise myself’ and other mini games, children were guided to become 

aware of their similarities with and uniqueness from others. This was helpful for chil-

dren to understand themselves properly and evaluate themselves positively. On the ba-

sis of proper self-evaluation, children could learn to evaluate others properly. In the 

process of answering thought invoking questions, children were free to deliver ideas so 

that they could fully express their thoughts, emotions and explanations. The participant 

children were also allowed to draw or act out their thoughts and feelings. In the activi-

ties within this study, children had a deeper self-experience, which enriched their inner 

world. 

Rogers (1951) maintained that in social interactions, individuals require ‘posi-

tive regard’, and there is no exception for children. They also require recognition, atten-

tion and love from others. In the process of picture book reading, the investigators al-

ways responded to children with encouragement and positive words, so that the children 

could have a positive and new understanding of themselves. This process enabled chil-



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 316 

dren to be freed from self-centeredness. The participant children were able to recognize, 

comprehend, and adjust their emotions on the basis of their experiences in reading and 

game playing. They first mimicked the characters’ actions of the story, and then learned 

to solve conflicts in constructive ways and manage interpersonal relationships. 

 

The Reasons Why the Game-Combined Guided Picture Book Reading 

Could Promote Social-Emotional Development.  

Why could game-combined guided picture book reading promote children’s social-

emotional development? We herein explained that the main reason is the scaffolding for 

positive construction in the reading activities, which involves the following four points: 

First, children internalized many socialized experiences from reading picture 

books so that they were able to understand themselves and others, and then improve 

social skills. Nowadays, children’s life experiences are mainly from their family, 

friends and people around them, but they were limited. However, picture books cover a 

wide range of contents, and through reading picture books, children could experience 

different lifestyles, meet a variety of people and things, and come across diverse views 

on life. Picture books served as a medium, and the game-combined reading activities 

enabled children to have a deeper experience and understanding of the materials in an 

enjoyable way. In such process, children could experience many that they cannot get in 

their real life. Their view horizons were expanded, their life experiences were enriched, 

and the knowledge and skills that they had learned could be transferred to their daily 

life (Guo, 2015). The social practice of games set up a certain life scenarios, in which 

children could understand simple social relations, and take initiative to solve problems 

(Fredrickson & Marcial, 2005).  

Second, game-combined guided reading of picture books adopted free and 

open discussion approaches, in which children were free to express their ideas and ask 

questions. This was to help children to learn the skills of thinking and reasoning. The 

improved ability of thinking in turn to help them understand the main points of the story 

and promote their cognitive and language development. Then, they may become intelli-

gent people with better-developed emotions. In addition, the picture books use elaborate 

illustrations, simple words and emotional expressions, and depict the virtues of courage, 

confidence, optimism and kindness in the stories. These elements helped set role mod-

els for children to learn. 

Third, the features of the three-dimensional design, full-scale demonstration 

and game participation enhanced participants’ senses of experience. The game-

combined guided picture book reading enabled children to comprehend the content of 

stories, and further encouraged them to participate in the exploration and understanding 

of the external world through multiple forms of expression such as reading, acting, 

dancing, drawing, practicing, running and jumping. In the reading process, children 

gave many types of responses to the materials, such as dancing, clapping, acting and 

performing (Hickman, 1981). Game-combined guided picture book reading supported 

children to give responses to the stories, and encouraged investigators to interact with 

children. The embedded mini games in the reading process were not simply recreational 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 317 

activities. Instead, they incorporated higher level of meaning and value (Dewey, 2003). 

Children could use games to express their ideas, manage physical actions, express emo-

tions and establish relationships with people and the environment. Game is the primary 

form and path of children’s learning and development (Yang & Li, 2009). 

Fourth, the selected picture books contained rich social-emotional elements, 

and the themes were in accordance with preschool children’s life experiences. Children, 

who have not yet developed strong observation abilities, might have egocentric con-

sciousness, and therefore lack awareness, cognition and understanding of other’s emo-

tions and needs. This will lead to a lack of social-emotional skills such as helping others, 

cooperation, caring and compassion. The selected picture books contained a number of 

common emotions of children and themes such as empathy, self-esteem, self-reliance 

and self-awareness. The books were used to help children to develop their self-

awareness (e.g., ‘who I am’ and ‘how I am’), social skills (e.g., how to greet others, 

apologize, and share), the adaptability to a new environment, recognition of their own 

emotions, control of emotions, self-regulation abilities and pro-social behaviors (e.g., 

being willing to get along with peers, recognition of other’s feelings and emotions and 

providing proper responses). 

Limitation 

Although the effects of game-combined guided picture book reading were significant in 

certain aspects, the duration of this study was relatively short. If longitudinal studies 

could be conducted among children, the durability of the guided reading effects could 

be investigated. This study only collected data from parents whose children participated 

in the study. The parents’ evaluation was mainly based on their own life experiences 

with their own children. In future research, data should be collected from multiple 

sources (e.g., teachers, parents and children). The pre-test data were collected on a par-

ents’ meeting, while the post-tests were completed by the parents on their own at home. 

In both situations, parents’ evaluation could be biased. If the methods of observation, 

interview and experiment could be involved, the evaluation of children’s emotional de-

velopment levels would be better-rounded. Meanwhile, some other study methods such 

as Social-Cognitive Aptitude Test and Object Cognition Test could be used. 

Due to various objective limitations, this study only set up three experimental 

groups to compare game-combined guided picture book reading with traditional self-

reading style and parent-reading-while-child-listening style. However, this study did not 

set up a game-only group (i.e., in this group, participants only play games without read-

ing books). Therefore, we were not able to distinguish which was the fundamental in-

fluencing factor (i.e., the picture book reading, or game playing or the combination of 

both) on children’ social emotional development. If game only groups could be added, 

the study results would be more rigorous and convincing. 

Conclusion 

 Picture book reading can promote children’s social-emotional development. 

Furthermore, game-combined guided reading of picture books is more suitable 



Xi, et al. Games Combined Picture Books and the Social Emotions in Preschoolers 

Vol.3, No. 1, 2019 318 

for children’s psychological characteristics, and its core mechanism is to pro-

mote children’s scaffolding in learning and development. Therefore, if adults 

add mini games into the reading with children, it will not only enhance chil-

dren’s positive experience, but also support children’s social-emotional devel-

opment. 

 Although this study has some limitations, the results indicate that game-

combined guided reading of picture books plays a role of positive construction 

in social-emotional development in children. This reading style is worth apply-

ing and promoting. 

 

Acknowledgement 

This study was supported by the Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Planning 

Project (Grant No. 2017BSH004) and Shanghai Pujiang Program of China (Grant No. 

12PJ037) to Juzhe Xi. We are immensely grateful to Dr. Xiaozhu Pan for her assistance 

with the translation of this article. Special thanks go to Dr. Edward Fox for his proof-

reading. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Received: 02 August 2019 

Revised:  13 August 2019 

Accepted: 09 September 2019 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chinese version of this article has been published in J Capital Norm Univ (Soc Sci Ed) 

2018; 243(4):167-174. The English version has been authorized for being publication in BECE 

by the author(s) and the Chinese journal. 

席居哲, 周文颖, 左志宏. 整合游戏与绘本, 发展情绪社会性—游戏式绘本指导阅读促进幼

儿情绪社会性发展的实证研究. 首都师范大学学报, 2018; 243(4):167-174. 


	Article-Title-BECE_V3N1_30Sep2019-JZX
	Article-Maintext-BECE_V3N1_30Sep2019-JZX

