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The Ecology of Preschool Children’s Social Play in Outdoor Play Spaces: 

1 The Ecology of Preschool Children’s Social Play in Outdoor Play Spaces Michaela Gummerum Susan Herrington, Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, Chandra Lesmeister, Jamie Nicholls, & Kate Stefiuk

Slide2: 

2 It seems to me that from the point of view of development, play is not the dominant form of activity, but it is, in a sense, the leading source of development in the pre-school years. Vygotsky, 1976, p. 53

Play and development during the preschool years: 

3 Play and development during the preschool years Physical development Cognitive development Language development Social development Do the properties of the outdoor play space design influence the social play behaviors of children?

The development of social play: 

4 The development of social play Parten (1932): Developmental levels of social participation among preschoolers Unoccupied behavior Onlooker behavior Solitary play Parallel play Associative Play Cooperative Play

Playground design and play: 

5 Playground design and play Playgrounds as main contexts within which children are able to select and structure own activities and interactions with peers. Behavioral flexibility promotes a greater range of social behavior in outdoor than in indoor environments. Playground design as an intervening condition of children’s play behavior:  facilitates or constrains strategies children use in their play relative to play materials and peers. Barbour, 1999; Ladd & Price, 1992; Pellegrini, 1995

Playground design and play: 

6 Playground design and play Different types of playgrounds and children’s play: No difference in social participation “Adventure”, “Traditional”, “Contemporary” playgrounds Specific playground features and children’s play: High levels of play on playgrounds with linkages of equipment flexible materials graduate challenges presence of enclosed areas Brown & Burger, 1984; Campbell & Frost, 1985; Johnson et al., 1987; Weilbacher, 1981

The Seven Cs: 

7 The Seven Cs An informational guide for landscape architects, early childhood educators, administrators, and parents. The Seven Cs define key elements that should be considered when designing outdoor play environments for children aged two to five. Seven Cs link the physical conditions of outdoor play environments to the development of young children. Herrington & Lesmeister, 2006; Herrington, Lesmeister, Nicholls, & Stefiuk, 2006;

Character: 

8 Character Overall feel and design intent of an outdoor play space: - modern: directed towards a child’s innate sense of inquiry into systems, mechanisms, and machines; - organic: materials that are made from trees, rocks, shrubs; typically custom built on-site by community members; - modular: pre-fabricated equipment put together; - re-use: not originally designed for children; adapted to make children’s occupation possible - metaphor: spaces, forms, materials are expressive of something else;

Context: 

9 Context Characteristics of the play space - thermal situation - space per child ratio Relationship of play space with the larger landscape surrounding it - type of neighbourhood - can children observe the world outside the play space?

Connectivity: 

10 Connectivity Physical, visual, and cognitive connectivity of the play space: - Indoor/outdoor: Direct physical and visual connection between indoor and outdoor play space leads to more play outside. Sense of place in the interior. - Pathways: Can be a major site of learning and exploration; Direct children’s movement and the movement of their physical materials.

Change: 

11 Change Range of differently sized spaces and how the whole play space changes over time: - Differently sized sub-spaces: For interaction in pairs or small groups of children; Distinct play zones, that are flexible over time and open to modification by the child; Physical elements that enclose zones and contribute to fluidity among zones; - Changing materials: Seasonal plants and animals (observation and play resources)

Chance: 

12 Chance Opportunity for the child to create, manipulate, and leave an impression on the play space: - Messy zones: malleable materials (water, sand, loose parts)  excite children’s imagination, mobility and fine motor skills - Mystery: Places that stimulate spontaneous exploration What can children see from their height?

Clarity: 

13 Clarity Physical legibility and perceptual imageability provided by the play space. Play spaces should create enough mystery to promote spontaneous exploration, but should not be confusing. Clear entry and exit spaces. Soundscape of the play space contributes to the general atmosphere and can create stress and confusion.

Challenge: 

14 Challenge Physical and cognitive encounters provided by the play space: Play settings should challenge children to take risks without being hazardous  Graduated challenges: - levels of difficulty for each activity - child should be able to find an optimal level of challenge Simple design elements can serve as catalysts for challenge

Method: 

15 Method Participants: 10 day-care centres, children aged 2 – 5 years 1-hour observations Video-taping of children’s play activities Coding: Design elements in outdoor play environments (Seven Cs) or lack of design elements Social play behavior (event coding; Ladd, Price, & Hart, 1988)

Social play coding scheme(Ladd et al., 1988): 

16 Social play coding scheme (Ladd et al., 1988) Interactive behavior: Teacher-initiated Child-initiated (with teacher) Social conversation Argue Unilateral bids Cooperative play Rough play Object possessiveness Aggression Friendly touch Non-interactive behavior: Unoccupied Onlooking Solitary play Parallel play (aggression against objects)

Play space design and play: 

17 Play space design and play Social play types: POSITIVELY ENGAGED: Social conversation Cooperative play Friendly touch NEGATIVELY ENGAGED: Argue Object possessiveness Aggression Aggression against objects

Play space design and play: 

18 Play space design and play POSITIVELY ENGAGED: Social conversation Cooperative play Friendly touch

Play space design and play: 

19 Play space design and play POSITIVELY ENGAGED: Social conversation Cooperative play Friendly touch

Play space design and play: 

20 Play space design and play POSITIVELY ENGAGED: Social conversation Cooperative play Friendly touch

Play space design and play: 

21 Play space design and play NEGATIVELY ENGAGED: Argue Object possessiveness Aggression Aggression against objects

Play space design and play: 

22 Play space design and play NEGATIVELY ENGAGED: Argue Object possessiveness Aggression Aggression against objects

Play space design and play: 

23 Play space design and play NEGATIVELY ENGAGED: Argue Object possessiveness Aggression Aggression against objects

Play space design and play: 

24 Play space design and play NEGATIVELY ENGAGED: Argue Object possessiveness Aggression Aggression against objects

Character and social play: 

25 Character and social play Significantly more negatively engaged behaviors - in play spaces with a modular character Significantly more positively engaged behaviors - in play spaces with a metaphor or organic character Χ2 = 14.76, df = 3, p = .00

Seven Cs and social play: 

26 Seven Cs and social play Significantly more negatively engaged behaviors in play spaces with a low number of Seven Cs than in play spaces with a high number of Seven Cs Χ2 = 11.92, df = 1, p = .00

Slide27: 

27 Challenge: Χ2 = 11.92, df = 1, p = .00 Chance: Χ2 = 14.60, df = 1, p = .00 No significant difference in play behavior in spaces with high or low Change

Play space design and play: 

28 Play space design and play Levels of social participation (Parten, 1932) Unoccupied Onlooker behavior Solitary play Parallel play Cooperative Play

Play space design and play: 

29 Play space design and play Levels of social participation (Parten, 1932) Unoccupied Onlooker behavior Solitary play Parallel play Cooperative Play

Play space design and play: 

30 Play space design and play Levels of social participation (Parten, 1932) Unoccupied Onlooker behavior Solitary play Parallel play Cooperative Play

Play space design and play: 

31 Play space design and play Levels of social participation (Parten, 1932) Unoccupied Onlooker behavior Solitary play Parallel play Cooperative Play

Play space design and play: 

32 Play space design and play Levels of social participation (Parten, 1932) Unoccupied Onlooker behavior Solitary play Parallel play Cooperative Play

Play space design and play: 

33 Play space design and play Levels of social participation (Parten, 1932) Unoccupied Onlooker behavior Solitary play Parallel play Cooperative Play

Play space design and stage of social play: 

34 Play space design and stage of social play Chance: Χ2 = 11.62, df = 4, p = .02 Challenge: Χ2 = 22.29, df = 4, p = .00

Summary and Discussion: 

35 Summary and Discussion Playground design as a factor that seems to facilitates certain social behaviors More positively and less negatively engaged behavior in organic or metaphor play spaces. More negatively engaged behavior in modular play spaces. Less negatively engaged behaviors in spaces with high number of Seven Cs.

Summary and Discussion: 

36 Summary and Discussion More positively engaged and less negatively engaged behaviors in spaces - which give children a chance to explore their environment and find challenging activities (challenge). - which give children the opportunity to create and manipulate features of the space (chance). More occurrences of higher levels of social play in spaces - high in challenge - high in chance

Slide37: 

37 THANK YOU!