Effects of an Unstructured Free Play and Mindfulness Intervention on Wellbeing in Kindergarten Students

Regina Lai Tong Lee, Shelly Jerrine Lane, Anson Chui Yan Tang, Cynthia Leung, Stephen Wai Hang Kwok, Lobo Hung Tak Louie, Graeme Browne and Sally Wai Chi Chan
Additional contact information
Regina Lai Tong Lee: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia
Shelly Jerrine Lane: College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
Anson Chui Yan Tang: School of Nursing, Tung Wah College, Hong Kong, China
Cynthia Leung: Department of Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Stephen Wai Hang Kwok: School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Lobo Hung Tak Louie: Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Graeme Browne: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia
Sally Wai Chi Chan: University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: Play is known as the core occupation of young children as it lays a foundation for their early development and physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Literature suggests that unstructured free play and mindfulness interventions may independently promote wellbeing among preschoolers. However, there is no clear evidence of their combination in supporting wellness in early learning environments. We conducted a quasi-experimental study with 42 children aged four to six years, attending two kindergartens in Hong Kong. The intervention included unstructured play with non-directional loose parts (play materials), conducted outdoors for one hour daily followed by a mindfulness intervention for 10 min per day indoors. The intervention lasted for five consecutive days. We examined happiness and aspects of playfulness before and after the intervention, finding a significant increase in all areas. Given greater freedom in play choice, children showed more disruptive behaviors during unstructured play than the control group engaging in recess as usual. We conclude that unstructured play in addition to mindfulness intervention is effective in promoting students’ happiness and playfulness, both of which may help maintain mental health and wellbeing amid stressors such as transition and separation. The increased disruptive behavior requires additional investigation.

Keywords: preschool; kindergarten; unstructured play; loose parts play; mindfulness; physical; social and emotional wellbeing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5382/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5382/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5382-:d:390122

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().