Title
Big Muscles, Little Muscles: A Qualitative Study on Children’s Outdoor Play in a Public Preschool Playground
Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Research Project
Degree Name
Master of Education (MEd)
Department
Education
Abstract
This qualitative, exploratory study focused on describing preschool children’s use of classroom materials on a public school playground. Naturalistic observations, a teacher research journal, and photographs produced a variety of examples of children using fixed playground equipment and loose materials. Eighteen children were observed during their daily outdoor playtime over the course of eight weeks. Midway through the study, children were able to self-select typical indoor classroom materials such as paint and musical instruments, while playing on the playground. Observations of children revealed the value of including a variety of materials on the preschool playground in support of whole-child development.
Recommended Citation
Hutchinson, Marga, "Big Muscles, Little Muscles: A Qualitative Study on Children’s Outdoor Play in a Public Preschool Playground" (2013). M.S.Ed. in Early Childhood Research Projects. 28.
https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/ech_projects/28
