A Study on the Design of Quiet Play Spaces for the Need for Privacy in Preschool Education Environments

Abstract

Providing the qualifications that support the needs of children in preschool education places is important in terms of reaching the aims of the education program and supporting the development. One of the basic needs that the child seeks in the space is privacy. In this context, special spaces that make a possible one or more children to take a time on their own or with a friend during the day should be provided in the educational environment. These spaces increase the self-confidence of the child, support the formation of her or his identity, help establish positive social relations by meeting the need for privacy. At the same time, these spaces, where the child is associated with concepts such as private, hidden and secret, are memory spaces that have a permanent place in children's memories. It is seen that quiet play spaces for this purpose are included in the preschool education environment designed in recent years. However, it is generally criticized that this need is not taken into account sufficiently and that the required special areas are not provided in kindergartens. In this research, the spatial parameters that determine the quality of quiet play spaces for the need of  privacy in kindergartens are investigated. Theoretical studies and examples from the world are examined with the method of literature research. Within the scope of the study, it was concluded that the components that determine the quality of quiet play spaces for privacy in kindergartens are the criteria of "color, light, texture, sound, material, size, space organization". In line with the determined criteria, the issues and design strategies that should be considered while designing quiet play areas in pre-school education environments are specified. It is thought that this evaluation can contribute to the design processes by pointing out the importance of the need for privacy in preschool education spaces.