The possibility of symbolic play to be organized as a narrative which would allow for the study of children’s subjectivity is examined in this study through the use of a case study design. The play activity of three individual children constitutes each a study case. To analyze play situations firstly a comparison is made with Tzvetan Todorov’s narrative schema. Secondly, the sense of a chosen narrative is analyzed and compared to children’s life contexts following Jung’s procedure. The study shows symbolic play as indeed organized in a narrative form, however discusses the use of the concept of narrative exclusively from the standpoint of language. Symbolic play can also organize itself as an image. This study shows and discusses as well the manner child’s subjectivity is revealed in symbolic play.
Narrative; image; symbolic play