Children enjoy engagement with water, yet little research has focused specifically on this aspect of the child-nature interaction. This study addressed this research gap by examining several different aspects of children's play with water. Research questions addressed type of water features (constructed or natural), type of play activity, gender and age differences, and affordances of the two types of water features.
The study focused on children's play with water in three urban green spaces in the city of Sheffield in the UK. Two of the three spaces were neighborhood parks; the other, a civic open space. Water features in the civic space were constructed. These included a fountain with multiple water jets and several small water channels. Water elements in the two parks were natural features, including rivers, a small boating lake, and ponds. The section of the rivers running through both parks were shallow. Questionnaires and observations were used to collect information about the children's water play activities in these three settings. A total of 273 children (age 8-11) completed questionnaires. The observations involved 3,399 children (age 0-18). Items on the questionnaire asked children to provide information about how often they visited the urban green spaces and what they did during those visits, including information about their water-related activities. The observations were conducted six times over the period of a year in each of the urban green spaces. A newly-developed observational tool (“Tool for Observing Water Experiences of Children”) was used during the observations. The tool is designed to collect information about the children, the environment, and water play activities.
Findings showed that children most frequently used the urban green space closest to where they live and that they usually get there by walking. While at the green space, water play was the second and third most mentioned activity. Younger children were more engaged with water play than older children. At two of the sites, females were more attracted to water play than males. Children were more attracted to the constructed versus natural water features. Play with water was both active and passive. Active play included playing in and with the water, throwing stones, fishing, and walking on stepping stones. Passive play included watching the water, sitting on the grass near the water, and chatting with friends.
An analysis of the data led the researchers to conclude that, in addition to age and gender, other dimensions influencing children's play with water included (1) the type of water feature (constructed or natural), (2) the intention of the designer to support children's play or not, and (3) the children's perceived and actualized affordances of the water features. Considering each of these dimensions may be helpful in designing urban green spaces with opportunities for children to engage in both active and passive play with water.
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