Young adults’ reflections on childhood outdoor play highlight the role of freedom in promoting feelings of joy and wonder Scandinavian countries have a tradition of being outdoors for play, learning, and relaxation. This tradition is often referred to as “friluftsliv”. This study investigated how young adults reflect upon their friluftsliv-related childhood experiences and memories.
Eight young adults (age 24) participated in individual walking interviews in nature areas where they played as children. Fourteen years earlier, these same adults had participated in similar interviews with the same researcher. The interviewees at that time attended a public school focused on outdoor education, outdoor play and friluftsliv. Their first four years of school included outdoor play once a week, often in a forest near the school. Fruiluftsliv was also an integral part of the interviewees’ leisure time outside of school.
For the current research, each interview started in the schoolyard. The interviewee then initiated the walk and shared memories of how they played in places where they walked. The walk chosen by each interviewee included a climb up a cliff wall, a gravel road, and a path to a forest where the interviewees used to participate in outdoor classes. Each walk-and-talk interview lasted about 70 minutes.
Two main themes -- joy and wonder -- appeared in the interviews of all eight participants. These themes were highlighted in the interviewees’ reflections on their friluftsliv experiences and memories. They were also reflected in the interviewees’ discussions about who they are today. Both joy and wonder related to the feeling of freedom the interviewees experienced during their outdoor play. The interviewees described movements and feelings as being related. For example, they experienced positive feelings when they were given the freedom to do what they chose during play. For them, the joy of movement was experienced as something physical, emotional, social and in relation to the surroundings. The social dimension of outdoor play was emphasized as a source of joy.
The findings of this study differ in some ways from previous research on outdoor play in that they emphasize the experience of freedom as encompassing joy, wonder, and communication with nature and people. The findings, however, are consistent with other studies' conclusions – that is, children’s experiences during self-directed outdoor play can contribute to their holistic development and help shape who they become as young adults.
The Bottom Line