Children's play as a factor of inculturation and the formation of sociocultural identity

The paper examines children’s playing as a factor in the formation of identity. An attempt to analyze different types of games from the point of their influence on the forming of personal identity and present their interrelation in the form of a three-dimensional model of a game block has been made. As a result, three layers of the game were identified, such as a core layer, which is represented by archaic games, a adjoining layer of the mantle being represented by traditional games and a shell one, represented by modern games. It is shown that all these games can be divided into classes based on the manifestation of normativity or creativity. Moreover, all games (except archaic ones, which are syncretic) can be divided into types according to the prevailing activity (communicative, emotional, intellectual or motional). The way of forming a personal identity through the whole complex of games is also shown in the research.