Playing at the Schoolyard: “The Who’s, the What’s and the How Long’s” of Loose Parts

Author:

Pereira Joana V.12ORCID,Dionísio Jadiane3,Lopes Frederico2ORCID,Cordovil Rita12ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo da Performance Humana, CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Cruz-Quebrada, 1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal

2. Laboratório de Comportamento Motor, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Cruz-Quebrada, 1499-002 Lisbon, Portugal

3. Faculdade de Educação Física e Fisioterapia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-678, Brazil

Abstract

Play has a key role in children psychomotor development, and the quality of play spaces can be a facilitator of the former. The physical properties of the environment, such as equipment or material available, can influence children’s behavior. However, it is not clear how the provision of different loose parts impacts children’s play patterns. This study aimed to analyze the influence of four types of loose parts on the time, frequency and number of children using them during free play sessions. We recorded the 1st, 5th and 10th sessions delivered by playworkers in a primary school, with 14 children (Mage = 9.96 years). The available loose parts were categorized, and four types of materials were chosen: tarpaulin/fabrics, cardboard boxes, plastic crates and plastic tubes. The influence of these materials on the time spent using them, frequency of use and number and sex of users (dependent variables) was analyzed. Some tendencies emerged, such as the popularity of tarpaulin/fabrics, but results showed no significant differences between materials. This could mean that the specific physical qualities of each loose part were not determiners of the behavioral domains analyzed. These findings suggest that all types of materials studied can be meaningful for children to engage with in diverse play opportunities.

Funder

Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology

University of Lisbon

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

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