Active Designs for Movement in Early Childhood Environments

Abstract

One of the preeminent aspects of the early years is movement. Young children use movement to explore their environment, practice physical skills, and interact with people and objects around them. Through movement, children also develop active and healthy bodies, which may significantly affect their quality of life in later years. The indoor and outdoor environments in early childhood settings facilitate opportunities to move and play. It is therefore essential to design appropriate environments that would accommodate children’s movement needs. This chapter will focus on the importance of appropriately designed and well-managed indoor and outdoor spaces for promoting movement in the early years. The chapter will also provide some prominent characteristics of designed spaces and identify the physical and spatial implications for movement. Lastly, there will be a discussion about how movement may be integrated into children’s daily routines, vis-à-vis early childhood education, in a manner that is substantially appealing for teachers.

Appendices

Appendices

Appendix A: Additional Online Resources

• Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Retrieved from http://ers.fpg.unc.edu/early-childhood-environment-rating-scale-ecers-r

The website gives information about the Early Childhood Environments Rating Scale, a set of criteria for assessing the early childhood environments.

• Evaluating the effects of the Lunchtime Enjoyment Activity and Play (LEAP). (2014, March). Retrieved from http://www.londonplay.org.uk/resources/0000/1229/BMC_Public_Health.pdf

The document informs about the positive long-term effects of introducing movable/recycled materials into the school playground on the physical activity levels in children.

• Danks, S. G. (2014). The Green schoolyard movement. Retrieved from http://nebula.wsimg.com/2df79d6da2c6f1f929ba284abe3a3dfc?AccessKeyId=065718B828D697FE7ED3&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

In this document, the author provides information about transforming school grounds into active and vibrant spaces for children where they can engage in nature while learning and playing at the same time.

• Moore, R. (2014). Nature Play & Learning Places. Creating and managing places where children engage with nature. Retrieved from https://naturalearning.org/nature-play-and-learning-places-creating-and-managing-places-where-children-engage-nature.

In this document, Moore talks about creating, managing, and promoting natural environments for children in urban/suburban communities.

• Moore, R. & Cosco, N. (2014). Growing up Green: Naturalization as a health promotion strategy in early childhood outdoor learning environments. Retrieved from https://naturalearning.org/growing-green-naturalization.

In this document, the authors talk about research in which a cost effective naturalization approach that improve the quality of outdoor learning environments and physical activity levels of children.

• School Health Guidelines. (2015, August 19). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/npao/strategies.htm

The website includes guidelines and additional resources for more active and healthy lifestyles.

• The Built Environment and Physical Activity. (2006). Retrieved from http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=36&articleid=97&sectionid=599

The document focuses on the effects of built environments on the physical activity levels in children and adolescents.

Appendix B Effective Designs that Encourage Physical Activity

Characteristics of environment	Encourage
Form & function
Smooth surfaces	Walking/running/cycling
Smooth slopes/cliffs	Rolling/sliding/running down/crawling
Trees	Climbing/swinging/hanging/sitting
Bushes/shrubs	Chasing/hiding/sitting
Shelters	Playing hide and seek/role playing
Pathways:	Perceptual complexity
Hard-surfaced paths	Riding wheeled toys/bicycles
Soft-surfaced paths	Sitting/interacting socially
Tree stumps/logs/rope ladders	Balancing/climbing/jumping/sitting/swinging/risk taking/managing risk/testing physical limits
Building considerations
Easy indoor/outdoor flow	Moving freely between in and outside the classroom
Elevated surfaces	Experiencing “up” and “down”
Concave and convex layouts	Feeling secure and free to move
High ceilings	Sense of spaciousness
Ramps	Sense of discovery and curiosity/visual connectivity of movement
Clarity	Physical legibility/perceptual image-ability
Circular layouts	Sense of energy and dynamism/flow of movement
Transparent doors/floor to ceiling glass windows	Sense of belonging/visual connection to outside/easy access to outside
Hallways	Reference points/sensory stimulation/directional skills
Organic-shaped layouts	Diverse play opportunities/creativity/related to the scale and movement of children/uninterrupted play
Strategies & ideas
Moveable furniture	Sense of change and dynamism/sense of ownership, belonging and control/functional learning areas
Hammocks/lofts/balcony/bay windows	Sense of spatial variety/maximizing floor space/prospect and refuge areas
Portable climbers/slides	Big movements/spatial awareness/experience “up” and “down”
Movement center	Daily physical needs in a safe and controlled environment/freedom from adult control