In an effort to understand how loose parts in early learning environments benefit children’s play and development, through observations of preschool children in a rural outdoor natural environment, this study examined behaviours that children exhibited as they used loose parts. Children exhibited a range of positive social behaviours, complex verbal and nonverbal behaviours, and various types of risk taking in their play. The findings suggest that children do not explicitly exhibit stereotypical gender or age-exclusion behaviours while using the loose parts. The results would suggest that increasing children’s opportunities to use loose parts in an early years outdoor environment will support their various aspects of development in positive ways.

中文翻译：

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儿童、户外游戏和松动部件

为了了解早期学习环境中的松散部件如何有利于儿童的游戏和发展，本研究通过对农村户外自然环境中学龄前儿童的观察，研究了儿童在使用松散部件时表现出的行为。儿童表现出一系列积极的社会行为、复杂的语言和非语言行为，以及在游戏中承担各种类型的风险。研究结果表明，儿童在使用松散部件时并没有明确表现出陈规定型的性别或年龄排斥行为。结果表明，增加儿童在早年户外环境中使用松散部件的机会将积极支持他们各个方面的发展。