Series Kick-Off: Creating Irresistible Outdoor Play Spaces

5th May, 2010 - Posted by - No Comments

What do children want in their outdoor play spaces?

This is the first in a series of posts that will look at things you can do to make a backyard, Head Start or preschool playground an irresistible play space for the young children in your life.

Children love natural play spaces. When given the opportunity, children choose, and enjoy playing in natural environments and/or with natural elements. They do so because of the overwhelming play potential of such spaces.

What do children want in their natural play spaces?

Research has very kindly narrowed the field for us by identifying the natural elements that children most want in their natural play spaces.

These are:

• Water
• Vegetation
• Animals, insects, creatures in ponds
• Sand (especially when mixed with water)
• Natural colour, diversity and change
• Places and features to sit on; in; under; lean against; provide privacy; shade; shelter
• Different levels, nooks, crannies, places to hide
• Structures or objects that can be changed, including lots of loose parts

What does this mean for parents and teachers?

Having a list of ‘all time favorites’ like this one gives us a great starting point for creating an outdoor space that will have children playing, creating, imagining, constructing and so much more.

This is the kick-off post in a nine-part series — How to create an irresistible outdoor play space for children.

Come with me and wander and dream through natural play spaces from around the globe. We will take our time and look at each of these natural elements in a bit more detail. We may just well find a few ideas that we can use in our own playgrounds or backyards to make them irresistible spaces for outdoor play!

Stay tuned…

Jenny is an early childhood educator, teaching and learning from children in a progressive preschool setting nestled in the beautiful Australian bush. Her blog, Let The Children Play, is filled with wonderful ideas and inspiration. You can follow her on Twitter @preschoolplay.