Establishing distinct areas in your outdoor provision allows children to engage in different types of play in the security of a confined space. But often little consideration is given to the boundaries used to surround these defined spaces and how children transition between them.
Low walls, tree stumps and willow structures are all examples of physical structures that can be used to ‘zone off’ an area. With some careful thought, these structures can allow for multiple ways to be crossed over, under and through, providing children with challenge and risk as they develop and refine their physical and cognitive skills. But getting the boundaries wrong can ‘stifle opportunities, limit play and restrict movement in and around the space’, explains Liz Edwards, outdoor specialist and founder of Muddy Faces.
OUT AND ABOUT
Early years children have an endless fascination with exploring the boundaries they come across in everyday life. Take a low wooden gate, for example, the type you find at the entrance to the local playground. Some children will open and close it countless times, go through it and come back again, explore how the hinges and latches work and feel a sense of pride when they have mastered closing it.
Standing on a low-level bridge or climbing over a stile on a countryside walk is another boundary that children like to explore. It can take repeated attempts and determination to master the skills needed to scale an obstacle. Children will need a combination of physical skills – co-ordination, balance and strength – along with an element of bravery. ‘They love the exhilaration of ascending to height and the anticipation that comes with a thrilling descent. Being elevated off the ground also gives them a new perspective of their surroundings and they get a profound sense of accomplishment from overcoming challenges,’ Edwards says.
Squeezing through small places – under the bed or between two pieces of furniture – is another popular pastime for curious young children. A low squeeze demands ‘challenging movements like squirming, scrabbling, wiggling and rocking’, says Edwards. Whereas an upright squeeze, between a fence and a building or through two solid planters, for example, requires effort and strategic thinking to pass through. ‘Adjusting your body angle may be necessary; turning and shuffling sideways, removing bulky clothes, even breathing in are all strategies that may be required to pass through a tight squeeze,’ she adds.
Tunnels facilitate the passage of children from one space to another. Low tunnels are great for crawling activities and imaginative play – they can take children on a mysterious journey, entering from one end and emerging somewhere new. As children crawl through them, they engage various muscle sets and their senses come alive as they ‘feel the changes in texture, altered light, echoey or muffled sounds, smells and the airflow different from the open space’, Edwards says.
And no hidey space would be complete without a hatch or a peephole, where children can peer out to see what is happening on the outside.
ACTIVE BOUNDARIES
Boundaries and defined spaces can be incorporated into outdoor provision in many ways. ‘Look at what could naturally become a boundary – where the concrete becomes grass, the markings of a bike track or a hedge that children can squeeze through – and develop ideas for transitioning between areas with resources that are free and found or recycled. For example, indoors, an upside-down table with a cloth on top could become a tunnel,’ advises Edwards.
Think about creating ‘permeable’ boundaries that children can go over, under and through. ‘Climbing up a ladder, over a bridge, down a slide or through a tunnel to transition from one play space to another not only facilitates physical movement but also engages with the child on different emotional levels, promoting interactive and dynamic play experiences,’ she says.
Education consultant Professor Jan White says paying attention to boundaries in the physical environment, and how they can be crossed – experiencing and creating edges, separation and in and out – ‘seems likely to provide some very foundational processes for understanding how the world works and how the child can operate in it, storing up intuitive intelligence for a great deal of symbolic and metaphorical application later on’.
But without clear boundaries in place, chaotic play spaces are likely to emerge, warns Edwards. ‘This results in little respite for children who prefer a quieter corner to engage in calm time or imaginative games, and confusion and unhelpful overlapping of high-energy activities, potentially hindering the overall play experience.’
Restrictive boundaries, on the other hand, have the opposite effect. ‘They constrain areas to such an extent that opportunities to engage in child-initiated imaginative play and chances to move between different spaces are actively curtailed due to limited options for mobility,’ she adds.
COUNTRY STILES
Depute head of centre Lorraine McCloy, of St Patrick's Family Learning Centre in Kilsyth, Scotland, came across the Muddy Faces Active Boundaries range when looking for flexible boundaries for the three-to five-year-old garden. ‘They can be moved around and interchanged with other resources, and because they are so versatile, they invite ideas from the children about how to use them,’ she says.
‘It's been lovely to watch children collaborating together as a team to ensure these boundaries work for them in their outdoor space. For example, they love lining up by the stile and climbing over it to get to the playhouse on the other side. “Climbing to go into the house,” they all chant. Staff noticed that some children needed support to climb up the stile and bend down low enough to crawl through the flap. This led to some lovely interactions where children modelled the actions for their peers to follow. They also challenged the staff – and much to the children's delight, they watched them shimmy under, through and over the boundaries.
‘Not only does it help develop their spatial awareness and physical skills, but it also supports mathematical development and technical skills in problem-solving. It also helps develop positive relationships and is great for imaginative play and expressive language,’ she adds.
Lea Archer, Forest School leader at Blossom Years, a pre-school nursery in Chislehurst, South London, says she noticed children were using the mud kitchen area differently and wanted to incorporate more adventurous play, with things to climb and jump off. ‘We wanted to clearly define the areas and incorporate challenge and risk into the space. Since using the [Muddy Faces] Active Boundaries range, children are demonstrating their use of positional language to describe “squeezing” through fence spaces and “crawling under” the ladder. Some of our quieter children are becoming more involved in group play. And generally, they are becoming more aware of what their bodies can do and much more resilient if they fall or trip.’
Curtis Meier, marketing director of Community Playthings, says many settings create dividers through natural forms and landscaping and then add its Outlast resources, such as the mud kitchen, water cascade, blocks or sand and water.
‘Boundaries do not always need to be walls,’ he says. ‘A change in elevation, or surfacing, often creates a sense of boundary for children. Big boulders make great dividers and, of course, the fallen tree with branches sticking up. Or try landscaping your area with different levels, or add a little hedge or trellis, or even a few trees if you have the luxury.’
Resources for zoning
- Muddy Faces’ Active Boundaries range includes fences, gates, stiles, tunnels and bridges. Try the Footpath Gate 50cm, £194.99, which can be fixed to fences or existing equipment; the Footpath Stile Set 50cm, £529.95; or the Massive Active Boundaries Set 50cm, £2,499,99.
- Create boundaries and separate areas with the Big Build Scramble Challenge Set from Hope Education, £599.99; or create a climb and crawl area with the Under 2's Grassy Stage and Climb Set, also from Hope, £649.99; or its Under 2's Outdoor Climbing Play Cube, £479.99.
- Try Cosy's Outdoor Fence Set, £509, its Under Twos Crawl Tunnel, £605.34, or its Little Garden Long Fence, £315.90. Or TTS's Outdoor Fence Panel and Room Dividers, £299.99, and its Outdoor Art Easel, £1,350.
- Zone off areas with Community Playthings’ Outlast range: Outlast School Complete Set of blocks, £3,850; Outlast Sandpit, £1,620; Outlast Kitchenette, £1,915.
