This paper, focusing on young children's need for privacy, describes a study conducted to determine the manner in which children in day care centers resolve the problem of reduced space and time for privacy. A pilot study revealed that children displayed three privacy seeking behaviors: (1) verbal and nonverbal territorial behavior (use or defense of a delimited space or object as an exclusive preserve); (2) verbal and nonverbal defense of personal space (an effective boundary control mechanism which regulates the intensity of communications with others); (3) verbal and nonverbal physical privacy seeking (physical separation from others by placing visible barriers between self and others). These privacy seeking behaviors form a matrix of types for observation within each of the four activity areas studied: the block and sand area, the play-dough and housekeeping areas, the games area and the alley. Sixty children aged 3 to 5 years were observed over a period of three months in each of the four areas in the morning and afternoon free play periods. Overall results indicated that: (1) age was not a significant factor in the mode of expression of privacy seeking in this particular age group; and (2) privacy seeking behavior was influenced by the activity area and the time of the day. Privacy implications for teaching and programming in day care settings are examined, and specific kinds of settings recommended. (CM)