Evacuation Movement and Behaviour of Preschool Children
Najmanová, Hana LU and Ronchi, Enrico LU
(2026)
In Modeling and Simulation in Science, Engineering and Technology
Part F1220.
p.113-149
- Abstract
The evacuation dynamics of children have been attracting growing research interest. Compared to adult populations, the evacuation behaviours and self-rescue abilities of children can be limited due to their developmental changes. However, considering developmental differences among children of various ages is crucial to avoid oversimplifications. This chapter focuses on evacuation of children in the early childhood stage, also called preschool age, which typically ranges between three and six years of age. Research indicates that preschool children exhibit unique evacuation dynamics and behavioural patterns, leading to variations in speed, density, flow, and evacuation processes which can strongly depend on assistance and... (More)
The evacuation dynamics of children have been attracting growing research interest. Compared to adult populations, the evacuation behaviours and self-rescue abilities of children can be limited due to their developmental changes. However, considering developmental differences among children of various ages is crucial to avoid oversimplifications. This chapter focuses on evacuation of children in the early childhood stage, also called preschool age, which typically ranges between three and six years of age. Research indicates that preschool children exhibit unique evacuation dynamics and behavioural patterns, leading to variations in speed, density, flow, and evacuation processes which can strongly depend on assistance and decision-making of supervising adults. Furthermore, environmental conditions and evacuation strategies tailored for preschool settings are very specific. The chapter first provides insight into early childhood developmental processes, which are essential for understanding the differences in cognitive and movement between preschool children and other age groups. Then, the chapter summarises the current knowledge and studies on the evacuation dynamics of preschoolers and highlights the main specifics and challenges concerning preschool child evacuation that are crucial for safety applications.
(Less)
- author
- Najmanová, Hana
LU
and Ronchi, Enrico
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Crowd Dynamics, Volume 5 : From Human Complexity to Scientific Machine Learning - From Human Complexity to Scientific Machine Learning
- series title
- Modeling and Simulation in Science, Engineering and Technology
- editor
- Gibelli, Livio and Bellomo, Nicola
- volume
- Part F1220
- pages
- 37 pages
- publisher
- Birkhäuser
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105026598217
- ISSN
- 2164-3725
- 2164-3679
- ISBN
- 978-3-032-02220-2
- 978-3-032-02223-3
- 978-3-032-02221-9
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-032-02221-9_5
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
- id
- 324eb379-5e66-4eb7-96f5-0a10af232786
- date added to LUP
- 2026-03-23 10:21:26
- date last changed
- 2026-05-04 15:15:18
@inbook{324eb379-5e66-4eb7-96f5-0a10af232786,
abstract = {{<p>The evacuation dynamics of children have been attracting growing research interest. Compared to adult populations, the evacuation behaviours and self-rescue abilities of children can be limited due to their developmental changes. However, considering developmental differences among children of various ages is crucial to avoid oversimplifications. This chapter focuses on evacuation of children in the early childhood stage, also called preschool age, which typically ranges between three and six years of age. Research indicates that preschool children exhibit unique evacuation dynamics and behavioural patterns, leading to variations in speed, density, flow, and evacuation processes which can strongly depend on assistance and decision-making of supervising adults. Furthermore, environmental conditions and evacuation strategies tailored for preschool settings are very specific. The chapter first provides insight into early childhood developmental processes, which are essential for understanding the differences in cognitive and movement between preschool children and other age groups. Then, the chapter summarises the current knowledge and studies on the evacuation dynamics of preschoolers and highlights the main specifics and challenges concerning preschool child evacuation that are crucial for safety applications.</p>}},
author = {{Najmanová, Hana and Ronchi, Enrico}},
booktitle = {{Crowd Dynamics, Volume 5 : From Human Complexity to Scientific Machine Learning}},
editor = {{Gibelli, Livio and Bellomo, Nicola}},
isbn = {{978-3-032-02220-2}},
issn = {{2164-3725}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{113--149}},
publisher = {{Birkhäuser}},
series = {{Modeling and Simulation in Science, Engineering and Technology}},
title = {{Evacuation Movement and Behaviour of Preschool Children}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-02221-9_5}},
doi = {{10.1007/978-3-032-02221-9_5}},
volume = {{Part F1220}},
year = {{2026}},
}