‘<i>I feel like I’m getting sad there’</i>: early childhood outdoor playspaces as places for children’s wellbeing

Moore, Deborah; Morrissey, Anne-Marie; Robertson, Natalie

doi:10.1080/03004430.2019.1651306

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Children have an internal motivation for play and its learning outcomes for children may be higher if teachers make open-ended play materials available in classrooms. The findings on children's enjoyment from physical movement and field trips resonate well with previous research emphasizing the importance of outdoor spaces for children's engagement and wellbeing (Blanchet-Cohen, & Elliott, 2011;Moore, Morrissey, & Robertson, 2019). Occupying children with simple coloring activities and developmentally inappropriate worksheets may be a source of boredom for disadvantaged children in this study.…”

Section: Discussion Conclusion and Recommendationssupporting

confidence: 87%

Schooling Experiences of Disadvantaged Children in Preschool: Attitudes, Engagement and Interactions

Arıkan¹

2020

EJER

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The research adopting children's perspectives about early care and education has flourished since the adoption of UNCRC; however, the studies investigating experiences of children from diverse backgrounds in the literature are still scarce. This study aims to describe disadvantaged children's experiences in a target preschool from their own perspectives.Research Methods: This study is part of a large-scale research project, and it focuses on disadvantaged children's perspectives using a case study design. The case of interest included a specific group of people associated with a unique preschool designed for the disadvantaged children. The data comes from 26 children and their parents for this study. Childinterviews were the primary source of data. Parentinterviews, observations and other documents supplemented data analysis. The data was analyzed using ATLAS.ti 7 Software.

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Section: Discussion Conclusion and Recommendationssupporting

confidence: 87%

Schooling Experiences of Disadvantaged Children in Preschool: Attitudes, Engagement and Interactions

Arıkan¹

2020

EJER

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“… Blanchet-Cohen and Elliot (2011) for instance described how participatory observation was a primary method of listening to young children in unmediated ways to get insight in how the children used the nature based environment. In the studies of Moore et al (2019) and Dyment and O’Connell (2013) observation was done by using event sampling or taking scans with an observation tool, making it easier to observe a higher number of participants.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in the study of Streelasky (2019) , drawings, paintings, and photographs were used during child interviews to support them in expressing their views. In the study of Moore et al (2019) , the children gave a tour around the yard to express their views on the value of the nature-based environment. Four studies also collected data from teachers, to explore their views and their interaction with children when playing outside in nature-based environments.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interesting were the studies that included children’s own perspectives on their play experiences in nature-based environments: Children often reported joy, wellbeing, and enthusiasm. For instance, in the study of Moore et al (2019) they included “stories of agency” in which children demonstrated a strong sense of comfort and self-confidence with the nature-based environment, by telling about the freedom they felt to make footprints anywhere or to cool down in the grass. This sense of confidence was also found in the studies that observed more risky play in nature-based environments, or a higher degree of risk afforded by nature-based environment.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nature play in early childhood education: A systematic review and meta ethnography of qualitative research

Prins¹,

Wilt

Veen

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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Play in nature-based environments in childhood education has positive benefits for child development. Although previous reviews showed the benefits of play in nature-based environments for child development they did not attempt to understand how and why nature-based environments contribute to play quality. This review aims to explore the value of play in nature-based environments compared to non-nature-based environments for developmental outcomes of young children (2–8 year). We searched for studies that investigated the relation between play and nature-based environments on the databases PsycINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were: (1) the study focused on play in/on a nature based environment, (2) the study included participants between the age of 2–8 years, (3) it was an empirical study, (4) the study was conducted in the context of early childhood education (ECE), and (5) the study included participants without special needs or disabilities. Using these criteria we selected 28 qualitative studies with an overall sample size of N = 998 children aged 2–8 years. The studies were synthesized using an adaptation of Noblit and Hare’s meta-ethnographic approach. Three overarching themes were found: (1) the aspects of play quality that are related to nature-based environments, (2) the aspects of nature-based environments that support play, and (3) the aspects of teacher-child interactions that contribute to nature play quality. The meta themes resonate with play theories and theories of the restorative value of nature. We draw on the qualitative data to refine and extend these theories, and to come up with a definition of the concept “nature play.” This systematic review also sets a base for future research on play interventions in nature-based environments. We argue that (1) research will benefit from thoroughly conceptualizing the role of play in the development of young children, (2) using the affordances theory research will benefit from moving beyond the individual play actions as a unit of analysis, and (3) from an educational perspective it is important to shift the focus of nature play to its benefits for children’s cognitive development.

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“…Appropriate siting protects children and staff from environmental hazards; while well-designed indoor and outdoor spaces support the effectiveness of early childhood programs, contributing to both child and staff well-being (Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2017). Conversely, inappropriate siting, poor design and low-quality physical environments can lead to negative effects for children, such as restricted sociodramatic play (Robertson et al, 2019) and reduced sense of well-being for children (Moore et al, 2019), as well as stress and professional frustration for staff (McClintic & Petty, 2015; Schenetti & Guerra, 2018). Wherever possible, the siting and design of childcare centres should be grounded in evidence-informed design that prioritises the best interests of children and supports the effective provision of quality early education and care (ACECQA, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In whose best interests? Regulating childcare environments in Australia

Morrissey

Moore

2021

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

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This conceptual model paper uses systems theory to explain how key elements in the Australian policy and regulatory context lead to three issues of concern in childcare centre physical environments: siting of centres on busy roads; lack of outdoor space; and, emergency evacuation in high-rise buildings. Drawing on evidence from prior studies and policy documents through desktop research, as well as childcare centre visits and communications with stakeholders and experts, we confirmed these issues as threats to children’s health, safety, development and well-being. Adapting Goekler’s ‘iceberg model’ of systems theory, we identified a dominance of commercial childcare property interests and complex and conflicting policy and regulatory structures, as explanatory elements leading to outcomes that conflict with children’s best interests.

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‘I feel like I’m getting sad there’: early childhood outdoor playspaces as places for children’s wellbeing

Cited by 15 publications

References 20 publications

Schooling Experiences of Disadvantaged Children in Preschool: Attitudes, Engagement and Interactions

Schooling Experiences of Disadvantaged Children in Preschool: Attitudes, Engagement and Interactions

Nature play in early childhood education: A systematic review and meta ethnography of qualitative research

In whose best interests? Regulating childcare environments in Australia

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