The purpose of this study was to identify the fundamental movement patterns experienced by 1‒2-year-old toddlers during outdoor free play at daycare centers, and to determine the physical play environment (playground equipment, toys, and other materials) in which these movement patterns were observed. In all, 16 toddlers (8 one-year-olds, 8 two-year-olds; 6 boys and 10 girls) from three daycare centers in Tokyo were observed, and their fundamental movement patterns were counted. It was found that 1‒2-year-old toddlers experienced 43 fundamental movement patterns overall, and 30 patterns on average per child. They experienced about the same number of patterns as preschoolers aged 4‒5 years. In terms of the play environment, “terrain/situation” tended to be more associated with locomotion skills, “toys” with manipulation skills, “fixed playground equipment” with locomotion skills, and “sandbox” with manipulation and stability skills. It is important for caregivers to provide a play environment that attracts children's interest, as play-environment places and situations elicit fundamental movement patterns, and it is also important to deliberately structure the environment to expose children to difficult-to-experience fundamental movement patterns.
