Supportive indoor environments for functional play in ECEC institutions: a strategy for promoting well-being and physical activity?

This study describes an intervention in the physical environment that aims to increase opportunities regarding functional play in the indoor environment, and the intervention’s influence on children's well-being and physical activity. The main topics are health, children’s physical action and development in day care and play. The research question investigated in this study is: how does the introduction of a play area in kindergartens affect children’s functional play, physical activity and well-being? The aim of the study is to investigate how the physical indoor environment can be changed to promote functional play, physical activity and well-being.

A multi-level regression analysis indicates that children’s physical activity and functional play are strongly related to the use of play areas, and that the intervention group had a higher increase in functional play as a result of the intervention compared to the control group. The results indicated that an increased focus on children’s opportunities regarding functional play can be beneficial for their health.

A total of 65 children were observed while playing freely by using video recordings in kindergartens at two data collection points. The contributing kindergartens were strategically selected among several partner institutions to ensure variations in size, age, location and physical surroundings. The researchers spent three years collecting data and used a mixed-methods design that included two data collections and an intervention.

Sando, O. J. & Mehus, N. (2019). «Supportive indoor environments for functional play in ECEC institutions: a strategy for promoting well-being and physical activity?». Early Child Development and Care, 191(6): 921-932.