Introducing the winners of the Real Play City Challenge 2022
A host of diverse child-friendly projects have been unveiled as this year’s winners of a global competition dedicated to ‘reclaiming places to play in cities’. The Real Play City Challenge was launched in 2020 by the...Read more
This new ‘risky’ playground is a work of art – and a place for kids to escape their mollycoddling parents
Imagine this: a heap of colourful plastic buckets stacked on top of each other to form a climbable bridge, monolithic bluestone boulders holding up a contorted slide, a pile of concrete demolition debris moonlighting as...Read more
Outdoor play: benefits, influencing factors and actual behaviour of kids
More and more municipalities are, fortunately, working on play-friendly public spaces. However, many policy visions and investments are still based on assumptions made by municipal officials or suppliers of play equipment. This is partly because...Read more
More space and play opportunities – that’s what children want in a post-pandemic world
Children say they want more space and more time to play with their friends following the COVID pandemic, according to a new study.Read more
Child in the City World Conference Dublin: Meet…Ilse van der Put
With our Child in the City World Conference in Dublin finishing today, we bring you another of our special Q&A features with one of the speakers. Today it’s the turn of Ilse van der Put...Read more
Welsh Play Workforce Study 2021
The play workforce in Wales is examined in detail in the newly-published Welsh Play Workforce Study 2021.Read more
Play Wales: ‘Adults should pay better attention to children’s play needs’
Adults should pay ‘better attention’ to children’s play needs in order to serve their interests better, says the head of Wales’ national body for play.Read more
Pre-school play with friends reduces risk of mental health in later years – study
Researchers say that children who learn to play well with others at pre-school age tend to enjoy better mental health as they get older. A new study by the University of Cambridge claims that they have...Read more
Baltimore kicks off playspace equality scheme for USA
The US city of Baltimore is the first official partner of play equality champion KABOOM!’s 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity.Read more
Leuven’s ‘smoke-free’ charter extended to 100 playgrounds
The Belgian city of Leuven has accelerated its ‘smoke-free generation’ strategy by announcing total ban on smoking – including e-cigarettes – in all of its public playgrounds.Read more
Are children’s play opportunities across UK nations a ‘postcode lottery’?
Is something simple as their address the reason why children in Northern Ireland are not getting the same opportunities for play as their peers across the UK? The ‘postcode lottery’ question comes on the back of...Read moreChildren who ‘take risks’ and play adventurously have better mental health – study
Children who spend more time playing adventurously have lower symptoms of anxiety and depression, and were happier over the first Covid-19 lockdown, according to new research. A study led by the University of Exeter asked parents...Read more
Indian city opens the country’s first ‘sensory park’ for children
The Indian city of Bhubaneswar is now home to what is thought to be the country’s first sensory park for children with special needs.Read morePlaytime at school: ‘Don’t neglect recess’, says Michigan coalition
Reading, writing, and ’rithmetic are important, but one group of educators and business leaders in Michigan, USA, wants to make sure schools don’t forget about a fourth R: recess.Read more