Ecological Resources Affect Children's Play

Nonhuman animals', infants', and young children's play seems partially determined by the ecological arrangement and specifically, the surface on which play will occur and the available materials. The effect of surface and materials on children's play has received some attention, but it has not been investigated systematically. To address this issue, children's play forms and social participation were observed weekly at a sensory table, an activity that uses both surfaces and objects. The sensory table surface consisted of rocks, sand, soil, or water, and available play materials comprised of either minimally-structured or highly-structured objects. Sand and water yielded the most salient differences. More sophisticated cognitive and social play forms occurred with sand whereas water evoked more rudimentary activity. The availability of highly-structured objects produced more mature cognitive play forms; minimally-structured objects led to more sophisticated social activity. The results of this study suggest some of the ways that ecological arrangements direct children's play.