Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to examine the impact on children playing at a preschool yard that is designed with traditional playground equipment, and a nature-like yard without traditional playground equipment. How these respective environments influence children’s play, which other factors in the external environment that affect the game and whether the theories in the literature correspond with the results were important questions for the essay. To answer these questions a case study was applied onto two specific preschool centers, both located in Malmö. Through literature studies, inventories, observations and interviews with staff and children, a picture become clear of how the children use the yard and how their play is affected by the design of it. The use of several different methods within the case study purposed in providing a greater understanding and comprehensive picture of the outdoor environments impact on children's play. The results proved that the design of a yard largely affects the game and that different types of outdoor environments favor different types of activities. The results did largely agree with the theories that exist in literature. My conclusions are that children's play is greatly influenced by design, in which a yard containing traditional play equipment such as swings and slides stimulate various motoric training games. Exploring and creating could occur when using the sandbox. A nature-like yard containing much vegetation, natural materials and verdure is regarded as stimulating of imaginative and movement-oriented games, but also encourages exploration games. There are furthermore a number of other factors in the outside environment that effect children's play. Key discussion points for the essay concerns factors that could have affected the outcome of the result, the results consistency with research theories, tendencies towards so-called discursive play, compensations of a yards limitiations and whether a combination of a planned and nature-like environment can be assessed as the most optimal.