Creating a Spatial Environment Where Children Can Concentrate and Sustain Play: A Study of a Childcare Center Class for One-Year-Olds

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in children’s play following the restructuring of the classroom play environment, and to analyze the childcare workers’ shared understanding of this change process. Two methods of research was utilized: ① interviews with childcare workers; and ② analysis of the children’s behavior in the play environment. Interviews with the childcare workers revealed that the restructuring of the classroom play environment was designed to facilitate spontaneous play, and it was inferred that each play environment was partitioned to provide a highly independent spatial environment. Analysis of the children’s behavior in the new play environment revealed that each child’s duration of play increased significantly. Accordingly, the results suggest that a highly independent spatial environment in the classroom is effective in facilitating concentration and sustained play in one-year-olds.