Symbolic-Play and formative assessment of the child: SVALSI

ABSTRACT Assuming that the assessment of children’s behaviours must essentially have a formative meaning, neither diagnostic nor recognitive, this article intends to present SVALSI (Evaluation Scale of Children’s Ludic-symbolic Skills), a tool for observation and evaluation of the symbolic play of children from 2 to 5 years old. The importance of playful- symbolic behaviours for the well-being and growth of children is highlighted by extensive research literature: in an educational perspective, it is therefore essential to have the possibility of evaluating their quality in order to support their full development. The Peculiarity of the device lies in the dimensions considered and in the purpose of use. The object of SVALSI assessment are the ludic-symbolic skills of decontextualization, decentralization, integration, execution control and social competence, considered, on the base of an extensive research literature, according to an evolutionary perspective, from the less advanced to the more mature forms.The use of SVALSI is essentially for formative purposes, aimed at identifying the proximal areas of developement of individual children and infant groups in relation to play, so as to work on these areas in order to promote their evolution. In the course of the discussion, in addition to the structure of the tool, the research that accompanied its development and testing is also briefly presented.