EXPLORING RELATIONALITY AMONG CHILDREN’S PLACE ATTACHMENTS IN THEIR EXPERIENCES OF A NEW PLACE

ABSTRACT

In an increasingly mobile and global context, children construct meanings through experiencing an array of places in their lives, potentially forming a basis for place attachments. In this study, we explore how a group of 27 children (ages 10 to 14) in Denver, Colorado, value ordinary places where they have some level of attachment; we then identify which values they draw upon in initial experiences of a new, out-of-the-ordinary place. Using photo-story maps and follow-up interviews, we found that children valued familiarity, entertainment, and significant people in their ordinary places. While the children generally described their initial encounters with the out-of-the-ordinary place as unfamiliar, they drew upon their values of entertainment and relationships with people to support their experiences of the new place. Our findings illustrate how relationality among children’s place attachments shapes their initial experience(s) of a new place, highlighting the need to understand the development of place attachments within the broader contexts of children’s lives.

Keywords::

• childhood
• children’s geographies
• place attachments
• relationality
• story maps

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the children who participated in this study, and to our community partner organization for all their support.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Most residents in and around Denver—regardless of age, ethnic origin, or socioeconomic background—experience a stark contrast between the builtup, densely populated Denver Metropolitan Area located on the Great Plains and the less builtup, less-populated Rocky Mountains rising to the west. Most children in this study came from ethnic minority and/or low-income backgrounds and further lacked many opportunities to visit and grow more accustomed to places in the mountains.