The Activity Center for Left-Behind Children in Rural Hunan

Abstract

Left-behind children live in rural areas for extended periods because their parents or guardians are away working. These children need a safe, comfortable place with learning and recreational functions to help them get through a long and lonely life. This research focuses on designing activity centers for left-behind children in the Hunan region. Integrating knowledge from several fields, including regional culture, child psychology, and child pedagogy, provides left-behind children with a safe, attractive, educational, and regionally-specific activity place.

This study adopts a mixed research method, including a literature review, field survey, observation method, questionnaire survey, and expert review. First, the situation of left-behind children in rural Hunan was analyzed using a literature review to summarize the relevant features of left-behind children's characteristics, Hunan's regional characteristics, and the influence of activity centers on the growth of left-behind children. Second, the actual condition of abandoned children in rural Hunan was extensively investigated, and their recreational, social, educational, and emotional requirements were explained. The interaction between them and the spatial environment was then compiled and assessed using design experiments, and the primary aspects of the design scheme, namely the relationship between left-behind children, the environment, and the space, were presented. The basic principles and steps of the design were also determined, and the design method and expert evaluation system were developed. Finally, the feasibility of the design methodology is demonstrated through design practice, and feedback is obtained using exhibition and expert evaluation.

In summary, the design of activity centers for left-behind children needs to consider children's needs and regional cultural characteristics fully. This research presents a set of design concepts and techniques for the design of activity centers for left-behind children in Hunan to fulfill the requirements of the children, as well as a valuable reference for the creation of future comparable projects. Paying full attention to children's needs and regional cultures can create a better-growing environment for left-behind children to promote their overall development.

-