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

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.

An Observational Study on Play and Physical Activity Associated with a Recreational Facility-Led Park-Based “Loose Parts” Play Intervention during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The loose parts provided opportunities for unstructured play that could be active or sedentary, depending on how children decided to use the materials and space. The type of loose parts available can shape children’s play decisions and experiences [ 16 ]. The play hubs aimed to encourage child-led unstructured play rather than specifically promoting physical activity.…”

“…Studies investigating the effectiveness of LLP interventions on physical activity and play tend to be implemented within early education settings (e.g., childcare centres, preschools and elementary schools) [ 6 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. However, studies investigating LLP interventions delivered to the public in community outdoor settings are lacking.…”

Pemanfaatan Media Loose Part untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Literasi dan Numerasi Anak di TK Dharma Wanita Persatuan Bawean

“…Mereka dapat belajar melalui permainan, eksplorasi, dan kolaborasi dengan teman sebaya. Faktor ini membantu meningkatkan motivasi dan minat anak-anak terhadap pembelajaran (Pereira et al, 2023). Penggunaan media loose part juga melibatkan interaksi langsung dengan bahan-bahan dan objek-objek nyata, yang memungkinkan anakanak untuk membangun pemahaman secara konkrit.…”

Child Psychomotricity: Development, Assessment, and Intervention

“…Researchers and educators became aware that the tendency to reduce the involvement of children in free play and outdoor time compromises children's psychosocial and motor development [17]. In this Special Issue, the space outside the classroom was also addressed, either by focusing on play-based intervention in the outdoors [18] by examining play behaviors of children deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) in the outdoor school playground [19] or by developing a sensor-based instrument to analyze children's behaviors and its relationship with the playground affordances. Specifically, Pereira et al [18] analyses of children's play patterns during ten play sessions in a primary school showed that all four types of materials (tarpaulin/fabrics, cardboard boxes, plastic crates, and plastic tubes) have the same importance for these children.…”

“…In this Special Issue, the space outside the classroom was also addressed, either by focusing on play-based intervention in the outdoors [18] by examining play behaviors of children deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) in the outdoor school playground [19] or by developing a sensor-based instrument to analyze children's behaviors and its relationship with the playground affordances. Specifically, Pereira et al [18] analyses of children's play patterns during ten play sessions in a primary school showed that all four types of materials (tarpaulin/fabrics, cardboard boxes, plastic crates, and plastic tubes) have the same importance for these children. Moreover, Silva et al [19] showed that DHHs do not play as much as their hearing peers and that interventions are needed to transform the physical environment into a more friendly and socially facilitating context.…”