The Analysis on Teacher's Experience in the Operation of Outdoor Play of Early Childhood Educational Institute

The objective of this study is to analyze teachers' experience in the operation of outdoor play in an early childhood educational institute. For this purpose, the experience obtained in planning/operating the outdoor play in early childhood educational institutes, as well as the difficulties experienced in their operational process, were examined. The data was collected through interviews with eight early childhood teachers. In the results of the study, first, the teachers' perception of outdoor play was analyzed. The teachers considered outdoor play as meaningful in that the children could develop gross/fine-motor skills, have the chance to develop their sociality, relieve their stress, and also commune with nature through outdoor play. Second, regarding the plan/operation of the outdoor play activities, even though they aimed to provide the children with meaningful outdoor play activities through various materials and methods, most of the teachers could not put their original plans into practice, because of the numerous variables in the actual site. The teachers' difficulties included insufficient time, spatial limitations, and insufficient qualifications for play instruction.