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Abstract
The aim of this article-based thesis is to investigate what characterizes five-year-old children’s movement practices on the preschool playground, and which conditions for expansion of movement are created in children’s playful meetings on the playground.
The reason for drawing attention to this, is that movement habits that develop in childhood are considered to have great significance for children’s understanding of their own movement possibilities and views of themselves. In addition, approximately 98% of all Norwegian children attend preschool.
Outdoor play is considered important for preschool aged children’s opportunities for movement, and it is a priority area in the preschools. Norwegian children spend much time outdoors, and especially in the preschool playground.
Despite this, there are few studies that have investigated children’s play on the preschool playground and what movement practices they can create when they are there. The thesis’ literature review also indicates that to play outdoors does not necessarily mean that the children can experience varied and challenging play.
The study presented in this thesis is based on a body phenomenological perspective, and movement is considered a fundamental human need and a means of expression. Through its relationship with the world, the body is in a continuous process of creation, and the children’s movements are their bodies’ answers to the environment’s requirements and conditions, and they are dynamic. Therefore, a movement practice develops on the basis of how humans experience themselves, others and the world in a mutual relationship.
The study is qualitative, and video observations and field notes constitute the empirical material. In the selection, two preschools are included, and the observations focus on eight five-year old children, two boys and two girls in each of the preschools, and their playmates. The aim of the study is investigated through three research questions, and these are illuminated in the articles.
The first article, “When Children Meet the Playground – A Gender Perspective on Children’s Movement Opportunities”, investigates what characterizes the potential spaces that are created in play between five-year-old girls and boys on the preschool playground, and what movement opportunities they create. The findings indicate that the content of the potential spaces is related to sport, work and family, and that both girls and boys have great freedom to decide what content they can play from.
However, which potential spaces the individual child can create for itself differ between girls and boys. Girls seem to create potential spaces for themselves that make them move with calm movements and it is the verbal language that creates the progress in the play. The boys, on the other hand, seem to create potential spaces for themselves that make them move with intensive movements and it is the interaction between their bodies that creates the progress in the play.
Article 2, “The moment of play and movement: A qualitative study of children’s playful shared movements”, investigates children’s playful shared movements on the preschool playground and what characterizes their doings when they perform apparently new and unexpected movements in these meetings.
The findings indicate that children in their playful movement interactions use their habits to create critical now moments that introduce something new and unexpected. These now moments are opened up by imaginings, transformations, and excitement.
In these moments, children can be creative and curious, leading to opportunities to experience growth in how they use their body and the place. Whether now moments led to creativity, growth and development, seemed to depend on the emotional attunement between the participants.
In article 3, “The children meet moveable parts in movement play”, I investigate children´s movement play with moveable parts, and what opportunities this offers five-year old children to participation.
The findings indicate that the content of movement play with moveable parts seems to be decided by some of the children and what ‘world’ they recreate the playground into. These “worlds” were more or less similar from day to day both with regard to content and socially.
Children or preschool staff that used the material in new ways or used new material inspired others to create new “worlds’. The balance between preschool staff´s involvement and children´s freedom and autonomy seemed to be particularly important for the inclusion of children in movement play.
The thesis gives insight into what characterizes children’s play and movement opportunities on the preschool playground. This knowledge is valuable for the increased implementation of the playground and outdoor play in preschool pedagogy.
In addition, it can develop insight into the preschool as a context for children’s creation of movement habits and views of themselves. Given all the time Norwegian children use in the preschool playground, this thesis opens up a field that is in need for further research, both from the perspective of the children, where different methodological approaches should be used, and from the perspective of the preschool staff.
