FACILITATING PLAY DIVERSITY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL OUTDOOR SPACES

Abstract

Playing outdoors at school provides children with opportunities to understand and
engage with their spatial surroundings, shaping their cognitive awareness of the
school environment. In Indonesian public elementary schools, outdoor areas are
expected to support both educational and recreational functions; however, their
actual use during recess remains underexplored. This study investigated how
children used outdoor school spaces for play during recess at SDN Gondolayu,
Yogyakarta, using place-centered behavior mapping complemented by a children’s
perception survey. From 172 observed activity groups, non-play activities
constituted the largest proportion of recess use, followed by restorative play,
indicating limited engagement in active play. Boys used outdoor spaces more
frequently than girls and showed different play tendencies, while age differences
between lower (Grades 1–3) and upper (Grades 4–6) groups were minor. Spatial
analysis revealed that children predominantly occupied corridors, edges, and other
in-between areas that were flexible and loosely programmed rather than formal
courts. Survey responses further indicated higher enjoyment in socially interactive
and expressive forms of play. The predominance of non-play activities across
locations suggests that several parts of the school environment were unable to
support diverse play opportunities. In the absence of dedicated playgrounds and
varied environmental features, children used transitional and semi-enclosed spaces
that offered enclosure, proximity to peers, and opportunities for engagement. These
settings enabled both refuge and social interaction within the same spatial field,
indicating that children’s play experiences were shaped by the combined spatial
qualities of school environments rather than by isolated features or equipment
alone. These findings highlight how the spatial characteristics of school
environments shape children’s play behavior and experiences. Understanding
children’s interactions with informal and transitional outdoor settings can inform
schoolyard design strategies that support more diverse and engaging play
opportunities in primary school settings.