Free play of preschoolers in a woodland setting tends to be autonomous, child led and imaginaryThe benefits to young children of free play in natural environments is well documented. Not as well known is the role of the natural environment in supporting young children’s play. This study examined the elements of young children’s free play activities in a woodland setting.
Fifteen children (age 4-5) participated in the study. They engaged in free play activities during seven weekly Forest School sessions in a woodland area. Some of the children wore small, high-definition cameras which captured both the gaze and speech of the individual children’s play behaviors. The researchers used these recordings along with field notes to develop an analytical framework which maps out the interactions taking place during free play in a woodland setting.
Six key themes, centering on various interactions, were identified. These interactions were with the environment, self, affordances, peers, adults, and time. The children’s play interactions with the natural environment included the use of sticks and other natural materials as tools and props, both in terms of their current form and in conjunction with their imaginations. Some interactions with the natural environment involved physical contact (as in carrying a stick); others without physical contact (as in stepping over a log). Some involved force (as in throwing a stick); some without force (as in sitting on a branch). Some interactions involved small-scale movements; others large-scale movements. Children’s interactions with the environment and materials in the environment varied according to their perceived affordances (i.e., features that invite action). The woodland setting provided a range of loose materials with affordances serving as play props. Sticks, in particular, offered a number of affordances. Time, as one of the identified key themes, allowed the children to explore both the physical space and the affordances of the setting. Most of the recorded play scenarios showed little or no adult interference. There was some evidence of an adult interfering with the children’s free play, which negatively impacted the quality of play. The children’s interactions with each other demonstrated their ability to understand and embrace each other’s ideas to sustain the play scenarios. Their use of language provided evidence of perspective taking and negotiating skills.
The analytical framework developed by the researchers incorporates the six key themes identified through this study and highlights key aspects of children’s free play in a woodland area which tended to be autonomous, child led and imaginary. “Future research could use, and build on, the framework to explore further the role of context in children’s play and how interactions may differ in different environments, over different time periods and in varying play contexts.”
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