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<p>This study provides a nuanced understanding of how seasonal variation, physical environmental affordances, and the individual actions of children foster active outdoor play in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Twelve children were systematically observed for 60&#xa0;min during free outdoor play at the yard of an ECEC center in autumn, winter, spring, and summer. The children who spent the most time engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activities and games and those with the most sitting time for each season were determined via quantitative analysis to identify the most active and most sedentary cases (<i>N</i> = 5). Subsequently, their outdoor play was reanalyzed qualitatively to examine the physical affordances and fundamental movement skills (FMS) they used for engaging in active outdoor play. Across seasons, the cases consistently engaged with manufactured objects (48%) and free spaces (35%) more than with natural materials (18%). The most observed FMS category was light movements (69%), which peaked in winter. The broadest repertoire of FMS categories was observed in summer. The most active cases used a wider range of physical affordances, especially balls and FMS, than the most sedentary cases—who were more stimulated by natural materials. All five cases used natural materials considerably in autumn, winter, and spring when weather conditions improved the adaptability of these affordances (e.g., wet sand, snow, and water), making them responsive to each child’s individuality and thus increasing active play. These findings highlight the importance of affordance-rich, seasonally diverse outdoor environments in promoting active outdoor play in ECEC.</p>

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Physical Affordances and Fundamental Movement Skills that Characterize the Active Outdoor Play of the Most Physically Active and Sedentary Children Across the Four Seasons: A Descriptive Case Study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月3日

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  • Susanna Iivonen,
  • Donna Niemistö,
  • Arja Sääkslahti

摘要

This study provides a nuanced understanding of how seasonal variation, physical environmental affordances, and the individual actions of children foster active outdoor play in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Twelve children were systematically observed for 60 min during free outdoor play at the yard of an ECEC center in autumn, winter, spring, and summer. The children who spent the most time engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activities and games and those with the most sitting time for each season were determined via quantitative analysis to identify the most active and most sedentary cases (N = 5). Subsequently, their outdoor play was reanalyzed qualitatively to examine the physical affordances and fundamental movement skills (FMS) they used for engaging in active outdoor play. Across seasons, the cases consistently engaged with manufactured objects (48%) and free spaces (35%) more than with natural materials (18%). The most observed FMS category was light movements (69%), which peaked in winter. The broadest repertoire of FMS categories was observed in summer. The most active cases used a wider range of physical affordances, especially balls and FMS, than the most sedentary cases—who were more stimulated by natural materials. All five cases used natural materials considerably in autumn, winter, and spring when weather conditions improved the adaptability of these affordances (e.g., wet sand, snow, and water), making them responsive to each child’s individuality and thus increasing active play. These findings highlight the importance of affordance-rich, seasonally diverse outdoor environments in promoting active outdoor play in ECEC.