Abstract
This study aimed to clarify how challenging activities of preschoolers on climbing affect their behavior and learning. The behavior of children aged 3–5 was observed when they played on climbing playsets at seven different play areas with different play structures developed for children aged 4–5. The results showed that among four efforts (“achievement,” “challenge,” “contact,” and “noninvolvement”), “achievement” and “challenge” efforts were observed frequently in children aged 4–5. This observation was suggested to be related to a safe and difficult playset structure designed according to the physical characteristics of children aged 4–5. Additionally, the conversation contents of children mainly consisted of three groups: “relationship with other children,” “self–other recognition,” and “danger–safety recognition.” The level of challenging activities on climbing playsets differed depending on the climbing and descending scenes. These findings indicated educational significance of the challenging activities in that children are encouraged to teach each other, take on the challenges, and learn about danger and safety.
