The focus of this study was on the outdoor play environments of early childhood centers. The goal of the investigation was to determine if such environments offer the necessary opportunities to support children's interests and developmental characteristics. The study also investigated if such environments complied with safety requirements.
The researchers used a 108-question survey to collect information about the outdoor play environments of 61 randomly-selected early childhood centers. The questions addressed four areas of interest: (1) basic description of the outdoor environment, (2) physical layout of the outdoor environment, (3) SAFE™ factors of the outdoor environment, and (4) specific pieces of materials, equipment, and toys. SAFE™ is a framework developed by the National Program for Playground Safety to support quality and inclusive outdoor play environments.
Over 50% of the sites included playground equipment that was relatively new, and 98% of the outdoor environments were buffered by a fence, natural element, or distance from traffic-related hazards. Many of the outdoor play areas had nature elements such as open grass areas where children could run freely. There was evidence of sand and water play in 64% of the outdoor environments, but only 15 out of the 61 sites included such natural elements as trees, rocks, and woods. While manipulative materials included some natural elements, such as as pine cones, rocks, sticks, and stones, most of the manipulatives were manufactured materials, such as buckets, balls, dolls, action figures, and art supplies. Over 50% of the sites had an accessible path from the building to the outdoor play area, but only 31% were inclusively designed for children of all abilities to play with others and to have access to materials and equipment. Over 90% of the playground structures were in good condition, but only 43% of the toys and other loose parts were reported to be in good condition.
These findings indicate that the traditional playground model continues to be the norm of outdoor play spaces for young children. The researchers offer six areas to be considered in planning outdoor environments for young children. All six considerations address the importance of providing multi-sensory experiences to promote growth across the developmental domains.
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