Johnstone et al. Two studies suggest that free play may be a potential useful approach to increase the total amount of physical activity 26 , Free play was also found to generate additional benefits beyond increasing physical activity levels, including improved gross motor skills In sum, Johnstone et al.
In contrast, there is some evidence to suggest that structured play appears to be more efficient than free play in producing high physical engagement during play 20 , Similar, research has shown that structured programs were effective in improving and maintaining motor skills 30 , The purpose of this study was to examine differences in physical activity engagement between a partly structured- and a free unstructured movement session executed at the same outdoor playground setting in 4—5 years old children.
The following research questions were set out;. Is there difference in physical activity level counts per minute between the partly structured playgroup and the free playgroup and is there any change in physical activity level counts per minute after the intervention period, i.
Four out of 12 kindergartens in Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy were selected for participation in the study based on similarities of the socio-economic status and ethnic origin of the families. Hundred and seven children were recruited to the study, out of these, 79 children completed the measurement at pre- and posttest.
Two kindergartens participated in the partly structured playgroup conducting a movement activity session that included both structured and free play activities at the playground consisting of 19 children aged 4 years 4 boys and 15 girls; mean age 4.
Children from two other kindergartens conducted a session of free play. The group of 4 years old consisted of 14 children 7 boys and 7 girls, mean age 4.
The study was approved by the Ethics and Scientific Committee of Laboratorio , Treviso, Italy, the non-profit Association that owned the site where the research was carried out.
The Committee verified the appropriateness of the documentation and procedures and verified the adherence to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Written informed consents were obtained from the parents or guardians before the children attended the study. All parents received extensive written descriptions of the goals, limits and risks of the study, of the methods used and of the activities performed before being asked to sign authorizations.
The playground Primo Sport see Figure 1 is a private playground but is open to public. The playground is located in Treviso and was designed to provide controlled opportunities for practicing basic motor skills to children from 0 to 6 years Figure 1.
General layout out of the playground Primo Sport and distribution of the specific areas. Balance area; 2. Mobility area; 3. Manuality area; 4. Symbolic play area; 5. Mixed area. The playground has a size of m2 and contains a total of 35 playground equipment and instruments that are placed at a safe distance from each other.
The playground is divided in five dedicated areas where instruments are located based on the motor skill most trained by their use see Figure 1. An objective measurement of physical activity accelerometer was applied in the first and last session in an activity period consisting of 10 visits to a specific playground during a period of 10 weeks in the period Mars to May During each visit, occurring once per week, one group of children were exposed to both structured- and free play partly structured playgroup 30 min in each of them and the other group of children participated in 60 min of free play unstructured playgroup , only.
Both groups conducted the movement session in the same outdoor playground with the same facilities and equipment available see description of The Primo Sport playground.
For the purposes of this study, a structured play session is defined as a planned movement time designed to incorporate opportunities to practicing basic motor skills and make use of large muscle groups. All sessions took place between 9 am and 12 am, with temperatures ranging between 10 and 26 degrees Celsius; there were no raining days during the study.
The two groups went to the playground at different days. The session of partly structured play lasted for 60 min in total, 30 min in structured activity and 30 min in free play.
The group was divided in two, one half started with free play and the other half started with structured activity. After 30 min the groups switched type of activity, e. The children that began with structured activity were further divided in three small groups of 6—7 children with each subgroup spending 10 min in portions of each of the three dedicated areas see Figure 2. The sequence of the activities was: 1 Manual dexterity: the children stayed on a tool for about 30 s before turning to the next tool; rope ladder, climbing rope, hanging bar, gymnastic rings, climbing net, monkey bars, spending in total 10 min in this area.
The children repeated the circle about three times. Figure 2. Whitened areas show where structured activities were run. Manuality area. Active play unstructured activities could be done everywhere else in the park at free choice of the child. Total time for structured paly was 30 min 10 min in each of the whitened areas and time for active play was also 30 min. One instructor, trained to the program, was constantly present in the manual dexterity area, one in the mobility area and one in the balance area.
The instructors were trained to provide scaffolding if requested, give instructions about possible ways of use of instruments and provided general encouragement for exploring the various aspects and challenges associated to each of the playground activities. Another instructor controlled the time spent in each area and coordinated the switch of the groups from one area to the other.
Free play was allowed everywhere within the playground, except for the portions of the areas where the other group was performing the structured activities. Kindergarten teachers at least one every 10 children were present for assistance and supervision, without involving in the activities no instructions, guiding or encouragement. Free play was allowed everywhere within the playground for 60 min.
One instructor, trained to the program, was constantly present in playground to control time. Kindergarten teachers at least one on every 10 children were present for assistance and in case of emergency but did not involve in the activities no instructions, guiding or encouragement. To detect the intensity of the physical activity engagement at the playground, the children wore ActiGraph GT3X, with an elastic belt on the right hip.
The monitors connected data at the vertical ax, in 60 s intervals epochs and the output of the ActiGraph is given in counts pr.
The counts obtained during the time at the playground are related to the average intensity of the children's activity through the time at the playground. According to the cut-offs set by Pate et al. There was no missing data during recording and downloading the accelerometers. Table 1 shows the results from the accelerometer for the two data points in March and May for the two groups participating in partly structured play or free play, only.
There were no significant differences in cpm between partly structured play vs. Table 1. Table 2 show the data for the accelerometer for the 4-year-old and 5-year-old, separately. Table 2. Physical activity level measured as counts per minutes cpm for the 4 and 5-year-old children for the two data points in March and May. Table 3 indicate the difference between counts per minute in March vs.
Table 3. Physical activity level measured as counts per minutes cpm in March vs. As noted earlier, a wide range of facilitators and barriers to physical activity behavior in young children has been identified 15 , The present study compared how the organization of the movement session as partly structured play or free play influenced the physical activity engagement in 4—5 years old children. During the movement activity session in the playground, the children had an average activity level of moderate intensity, regardless of belonging to the partly structured playgroup or the free playgroup.
In this age group, slow walk gives about 1, cpm, brisk walk gives nearly 3, cpm and jogging about 4, cpm. Giske et al. And then the infant at that point might just pick up another ring independently and might try again and might even succeed or get close to succeeding.
And so, the parents would then gradually withdraw their help and kind of only introduce as much help as felt like it was necessary. So for example, I really wanted my baby to drop that ball in the hole, the box. That is how the toy works, in my mind. In my mind, that is the success.
Try to put the ball in the hole… In the right… In the hole. Dave : Yeah. Well, I mean, one way of doing it is to kind of just try to gradually increase what you are doing, slowly. Jessica : That is so wise. And so helpful for us to hear, it sounds like patience is really the key.
But it sounds like observing them, taking these kind of micro-observations and taking them one step further if they are interested is the key. And what does it look like with a parent that is not as engaged? Dave : What I think can happen in that situation is that the child will, if you think of the ring toy, they might try to put the ring on the toy, and if the… And they might not be able to. You know? So if they were particularly focused on a particular toy, then if you are going to talk, then maybe point to part of it and ask them about it, or do move a little part of it or something.
This research could prove particularly important for developing interventions to assist children from vulnerable populations, such as those from low socioeconomic-status backgrounds, children with disabilities, or children experiencing stress or trauma. As we await new discoveries from brain science, one finding is already clear: Play is a wonderful metaphor for active, engaged, meaningful, and socially interactive learning.
Alfieri, L. Brooks, N. Burgdorf, J. Dore, R. Perhaps to Enable Social Pretend Play. Fisher, K. Hirsh-Pasek, N. Hirsh-Pasek, R. Golinkoff, D. New York: Oxford University Press. Golinkoff, R. Gopnik, A. Han, M. Moore, C. Hirsh-Pasek, K. Zosh, R. Golinkoff, J. Gray, M. Lillard, A. Lerner, E. Hopkins, R. Dore, E. Pellegrini, A. Pellis, S. Schulz, L. Sutton-Smith, B. The Ambiguity of Play. Tominey, S. Toub, T. Hassinger-Das, H. Ilgaz, D. Weisberg, K. Nesbitt, M.
Collins, K. Verdine, B. Golinkoff, K. Weisberg, D. Zosh, K. Golinkoff, A.
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