Abstract
This study investigated the interactions between children and their environment, including objects and water, during water play in a 1-year-old class. The primary objective was to clarify how children make meanings of objects, water, and their actions, and how these meanings influence their engagement with the environment. The research method focused on children’s nonverbal behaviors involving objects, employing a microgenetic analysis approach. Analysis of six children in three case studies revealed three key findings: 1) the process of making meaning not only in relation to water but also for the objects themselves within the water play content, 2) the process by which the phenomena resulting from the interaction between objects and water influence the making of meaning in children’s actions with water and objects, and 3) the process by which the actions of other children and caregivers impact the making of meaning in their actions with objects and water.
