Outdoor (anti-)play spaces and places: a qualitative study of Polish large city backyards seen from children’s perspective

Figures & data

Table 1. Research methods.

Research methods—child-centred research			Notes
Leading methods:	Exploratory walks	observation with ethnographic elements such as free talks with the social groups studied in their natural living environment.	designed and conducted by adult researcher.
	Elements of mosaic approach	five tours of four to five children guided by them in backyards, three meetings in backyards: marking play spaces and places by children with colour paper sticky notes (colour depending on emotion: purple—I love it; green—I like it; red—I don`t like it; black—I hate it; blue—I am scared of it).	designed by adult researcher and conducted by children.
Supplemental data collection methods	document analysis (documents regarding the revitalisation of Przedmieście Oławskie: Local Revitalisation Program for 2016–2018, Masterplan of Przedmieście Oławskie, Masterplan of the Oława waterfront). analysis of visual materials such as photos taken by adult researcher during the meetings and guided tours.		designed and conducted by adult researcher

Source: own elaboration.

Table 2. Characteristics of children’s participation in research.

Characteristics of children’s participation in research
Age of children:	pre-school-aged children from three to six (average age: 5) early-primary-school-aged children from six to ten (average age: 7)
Criteria for the purposeful selection of the research group:	children’s unstructured (free) play in selected backyards children’s play without parents’ supervision
Number of children observed during the exploratory walks	73 children
Number of children participated in meetings in backyards:	23 children aged from three to ten years old including: thirteen girls, ten boys.
Notes:	Children aged three, four or ten years old were a minority (there were four of them in total).

Source: own elaboration.

Figure 1. The author's research took place in the backyards of Przedmieście Oławskie in Wroclaw, Poland. One of the backyards is presented in the photo. Source: author`s photo.

Figure 2. The entrance to one of the tenement houses from the backyard side in Przedmieście Oławskie in Wroclaw, Poland. Source: author`s photo.

Table 3. Play categories developed in the studied backyards.

Play with high levels of exercise and energy	Play with less movement and energy
running (fast), racing, chasing, kicking the balls and other objects such as pebbles, sometimes kicking the walls, throwing pebbles and other objects, climbing around two-meter high walls and roofs of garages, jumping from staircases, balancing on walls, playing symbolic play for example in wars or dancing, playing games such as hide-and-seek.	walking, going for a stroll, talking, discussing, giggling, sitting on short walls and talking, ‘wandering’ aimlessly, venturing, planning what to do, drawing on the sand with foot or stick.

Source: own elaboration.

Table 4. Spaces and places children liked the most.

Brief characteristics of the play outdoor places	Notes from the filed diary
Places in which one can climb, such as: a junk car, trees, garages, walls	Alan, 7 years old: I’m like a monkey, I like climbing the most. They call me a monkey not without a reason. Wiktoria, 7 years old: We go to the roofs, those here. It’s good to have fun climbing but not everyone can do this, because Olek cannot. He is too small.
Places used as a good hideout while playing hide-and-seek, for example: staircases, recesses, sheds	Zuzia, 5,5 years old: The best place for a hideout is in my staircases, there are two of them, you can go in and hide. Piotrek, 5 years old: I hide most often behind the garage. You can run fast out there and they can’t see how you run.
Places where one can sit, such as short walls (there was no benches chairs or other garden furniture provided in the backyards)	Igor, 7 years old: I like it here [showing a short wall], you can sit and play or talk. There are not so many seats over here. Natasza, 9 years old: This is my favourite place [pointing to a short wall]. We spent a lot of time here just talking, laughing and scratching things on the ground with your foot.
Places tamed by children and exceptionally close to them, for example a staircase leading to flats or a favourite place to hang out	Julia, 8 years old: I have got my own staircase and I like dancing there, I spend a lot of time there and practice acrobatics. I go to the roof also, it’s so low. Wiktoria, 7 years old: I love my staircase. This is my best place to hide when we play hide-and-seek. I can move around then they are looking for me. I can be never catch.
Places related to the events happened in past, for example: backyards’ picnic and fests	Alan, 7 years old: I like it the most we had fun last summer. It was such a fest (…) there were balloons, we did different things. Alan, 7 years old: I like it a lot when these people came by with all the balloons and face paints. There was a lottery. Many things were going on and this place looked colourful.

Source: own elaboration.