Use your email or another service below to continue to University of Southern Denmark
Active outdoor play is crucial for children’s health and development, and playgrounds in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)* centers provide an ideal space for it.
However, the importance of these playgrounds’ use for health and well-being is still unclear.
As part of the World Playground Research Institute’s comprehensive scoping review conducted in 2024*, 62 studies related to ECEC playgrounds were extracted from all published research on playground use and its health benefits for children.
The aim was to create a more clearer and more detailed overview of ECEC playgrounds’ impact on children’s well-being.
In this brief, we summarize important insights from the scoping review, aiming to guide ECEC leaders, daycare staff, policymakers, and practitioners, like landscape architects, in making informed decisions about investments and designs in the area of ECEC outdoor spaces.
It also supports researchers in identifying areas for future research needs.
_
Out of the 62 studies, most were descriptive and exploratory studies about physical activity. Few studies were about motor skills, social, and mental health.
Nine studies reported on feasibility and pilot intervention studies, while two reported on efficacy and effectiveness studies. These two studies measured the impact of using ECEC playgrounds in promoting physical activity.
For ECEC leaders, daycare staff, policymakers, and architects, this review recommends …
Experts recommend that playgrounds have a minimum space of 7 m² per child.
In a pilot study, the average playground space per child was increased from 7.4 m² to 16.7 m². The findings suggest that scheduling extra recesses with fewer children on the playground at once can effectively promote physical activity.
A pilot study found that providing high-quality, natural outdoor play environments for children can have a significant positive impact on their health and well-being, without the need for costly equipment or complex interventions.
One natural experiment study showed that fixed sandboxes, real grass, and adding portable play equipment (e.g., balls, slides, twirling equipment, tumbling mats) can increase children’s activity levels.
It also found that children prefer playing equipment with moveable features as they are action-oriented and versatile.
The research on ECEC playgrounds needs more efficacy and effectiveness studies, and in particular replication and scale-up studies to demonstrate which type of ECEC playground interventions are successful.
The existing evidence, however, provides good arguments for investing in play structures in the ECEC playgrounds to improve physical activity.
For researchers, the research on ECEC playgrounds …
All our briefs are accessible through our website, www.playgroundresearch.org.
On the website, you’ll find a compilation of briefs that offer a clear comprehension of research findings and their implications for future research and practical application.
You can also download a printable PDF version of this brief to facilitate sharing.
