Play and participation in the outdoor areas of kindergartens for children with physical disabilities

Background: The kindergarten is an important scene for a child’s play, learning and development and forms a basis for giving all children the possibility to participate in play. The aim of this study was to look at outdoor... [ view full abstract ]

Background: The kindergarten is an important scene for a child’s play, learning and development and forms a basis for giving all children the possibility to participate in play. The aim of this study was to look at outdoor areas of kindergartens to describe how children with physical disabilities use the facilities and if there are characteristics of outdoor areas that encourage play and participation.
Method: Through fieldwork with participant observation four children with light physical disabilities in four different kindergartens were observed while playing in the outdoor areas. Afterward sketches of the areas were made, and the children’s movement patters were plotted in and analysed. Interviews were made with employees at each kindergarten to confirm and support observations.
Findings: The findings indicate that children with mild physical disabilities seek out playground areas where it is possible to find variation and make use of their imagination, where they can limit the play area and get motor stimulation. As long as the outdoor areas in the kindergartens are easily accessible, these children therefore mostly will seek out and be inspired by the same areas and toys and by the same type of play as other children in the kindergarten. On the other hand the findings indicate that natural strongholds for transfers, good meetingpoints and areas for unsupervised play especially promote participation and play for children with this kind of disability.