Landscape Architecture Commons^™

Tool For Observing Play Outdoors (Topo): A New Typology For Capturing Children's Play Behaviors In Outdoor Environments, Janet Loebach, Adina Cox

Landscape Architecture Faculty Publications

Engagement in play has been definitively linked to the healthy development of children across physical, social, cognitive, and emotional domains. The enriched nature of high-quality outdoor play environments can afford a greater diversity of opportunities for play than indoor settings. To more effectively design outdoor play settings, we must better understand how the physical environment supports, or hinders, the different types of play which suit children's needs and interests. However, play typologies or observation tools available to date do not adequately capture the unique characteristics of outdoor play. This paper outlines the development and testing of the Tool for Observing …