Children’s reactions towards the use of ‘child-friendly’ learning environments in an obesity prevention health education program

Abstract

This article discusses the contribution of ‘child-friendly’ learning environments in an obesity prevention health education program for young children. The ‘child-friendly’ approach refers to a concept wherein the situation, place, as well as the activities conducted include elements that children like or enjoy and are suitable to their level. A total of 68 children between the ages of 3-6 years participated in the study. The program was conducted for 32 weeks at a kindergarten using a ‘child-friendly’ approach. Data regarding children’s reactions towards the approach were collected using video recordings and anecdotal records from in-situ observation. The data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Research results show that the ‘child-friendly’ learning environment contributed four positive reactions from the children; 94.29% of the children were recorded to be ‘happy’, 90.02% were recorded to be ‘excited’, 98.59% showed ‘acceptance’ and 95.71% showed ‘appreciation’. In conclusion, the research findings support the use of the ‘child-friendly’ approach in the teaching and learning process of children aged between 3-6 years as they are able to experience learning in an enjoyable manner thus motivating them to learn.