Background: Few studies have investigated how heat impacts play from the perspective of children. The purpose of this study was to explore children's experiences of recess play during high temperatures. Methods: We used the draw-and-tell method to retrospectively explore the experiences of recess during hot weather among students (N = 38) between…

Risky play, accompanied by thrilling feelings with real or perceived risks, is beneficial for children's development. Playground quality and teachers' attitudes about risk can influence preschoolers' risky play opportunities. In this study, 10 U.S. preschools' outdoor environments were rated using the Seven Cs Scale. Playgrounds scored lowest in…

The importance of outdoor activities for children should not be overlooked, and teachers and parents as stakeholders have an influential role in providing learning opportunities (Elliott, 2015). Teachers are dependent on parental reciprocity because of potential for harm (Maynard, 2007), and parents can limit activities because of various reasons…

The day-to-day environment surrounding the child influences its physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. The study was conducted to understand how the perception of children and their parents about the outdoor play spaces influences their outdoor participation. Face-to-face interviews with parents, a walk-along interview with children and audit…

Little research in education has focused on school neighborhoods. We employ a novel systematic social observation tool--the internet-based School Neighborhood Assessment Protocol (iSNAP)--within Google Street View to quantify the physical characteristics of 291 preschool communities in nine U.S. cities. We find low to moderate correlations (r =…

Approximately 36,000 Swedish children seek medical care annually because of injuries during school time. The purpose of this field study is to investigate risky outdoor play at the school yard and to describe teachers' perceptions of risk and safety in relation to learning and development. The study includes observations of children (6-12 years…

Objective: This study aimed to examine some common problems observed during school recess and translate findings to evidence-based, practical solutions that can be applied within schools on a more systematic level. Design: Observational study. Setting: Elementary schools in the USA. Method: Data were collected from 112 school recess periods at 25…

The purpose of this study is to provide innovative design criteria for urban playgrounds based on the principles of biophilic design. Derived from the biophilia hypothesis, biophilic design aims to provide humans with a positive contact with nature in a built environment. The biophilia hypothesis asserts that human's attachment with nature is a…

Risk aversive perceptions and practices among ECEC practitioners and parents have proven to be an important reason for the decline of young children's opportunities for free outdoor play. Yet, there are also cultural differences in the perception of children's risky play. This study aims at examining the factors that ECEC practitioners and parents…

This article presents data from a survey of Early Childhood Education and Care services in Australia. The study investigated outdoor play provision in terms of space, resources and planning for risk-taking in play. Overall, the results indicate that the participating centres are well-resourced to promote physical play, but vary in terms of…

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of "surplus safety". A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students'…

This article focuses on how Early Childhood Education and Care institutions provide for 1- to 3-year-olds' risky play--a previously little researched topic--utilizing data from an exploratory, small-scale study investigating aspects of risky play in the age-group. The main findings describe how three essentially different Early Childhood Education…

Play areas of entertainment and development are new recourses for modern city children, but at the same time, they produce risks of road traffic accidents, deviation, social inequality and social exclusion. Playgrounds in city/town yards are free zones of children's pastime, where children communicate and play together. The aim of this article is…

The school playground experience is an inevitable part of school life for primary school children. For most children, the experience is a positive and enjoyable one that contributes to their physical and social well-being and has been associated with enhanced attention and learning in the classroom. For some children, however, the playground can…

Playgrounds beget an unrivalled context which, through play activity, can foster children's growth. The foremost function of all playgrounds is to provide for safety. In the present study, our primary focus is to determine the degree of adequacy as far as playground equipment is concerned, including estimates of imminent dangers and the level of…