Role Of Natural Environment As Stimulating Outdoor Play Space For Children – A Study Of Bhopal, India

Play is the origin of all learnings in children, it lets you explore, discover, take risks, fall, succeed, become spontaneous, creative and test many other capabilities. Furthermore, as playful activities are fun and purposeless, they significantly contribute to their physical, social, cognitive & emotional development. To be able to play freely is the right of every child. But in the present scenario of rapid urbanization, increased traffic, pollution, crammed spaces and other hazards have diminished their access to natural outdoor environs. This has led to ignorance of quality and dedicated play spaces. As a result, they are forced to play in poorly designed grounds often hammered with repetitive equipment which leads to a rigid and monotonous play pattern. It has been found that the children have affinity towards natural elements & it nurtures their overall growth. As nature unfolds its complex and unexpected experiences of rain, waterfall, wind, birds, mud splashing and leaves falling, it sparks curiosity while it provides an arena to play. Every child responds in multiple ways to these interactions with nature, and hence creates a plethora of opportunities to enjoy and learn innocently. This paper aims to study these natural relationships & the prospects it creates for a ‘quality’ play that can accommodate a child’s needs & behaviour. The methodology for this research includes qualitative analysis (behaviour mapping, photo projection) and quantitative survey (social questionnaire). This study shall become the basis for the landscape architects to design play spaces integrated with natural environment.