Belgian cities’ games packages for vulnerable kids in lockdown
While the home isolation measures caused by coronavirus lockdowns take their toll on parents worldwide, cities in Belgium’s Flanders region are going the extra mile to keep children’s minds active by providing free games kits...Read more
Why working families need parks and playgrounds more than ever
Are you a parent who is struggling to find time to be with your child and help them grow? Our newly published research shows neighbourhood parks, and playgrounds in particular, provide valuable and unique opportunities...Read more
Dutch cities giving disabled children equal access to outdoor play
Councillors in the Dutch city of Breda are adding their weight to a national campaign to give equal opportunities for outdoor play to children with disabilities. Erwin Hoek, a councillor with the PvdA party, has written...Read more
No need to give up on crowded cities – we can make density so much better
The idea that we should decentralise our population has come up many times in Australia. Recently, the National Farmers’ Federation president pushed the notion, calling for a shift to the regions. And the premise is...Read more
Play is banned on all Baltimore city streets. A new bill could change that.
A ban on children playing outdoors in the US city of Baltimore has affronted one local councillor so much that he’s launched a one-man mission to change the law. Should Ryan Dorsey be successful in repealing...Read more
Play access in cities is critical to children’s development – report
Society has ‘an obligation to reclaim play in cities’ because of the ‘critical role’ it plays in child development and learning, says a global play rights alliance. The Real Play Coalition says the evidence is overwhelming...Read more
Winter play campaign aims to get kids outdoors
The Association of Play Industries (API) is promoting a new initiative aimed at getting children outdoors and using playgrounds over the winter. It has joined forces with Leyla Preston, founder of online parenting platform Motherhood Diaries...Read more
Decline in playgrounds is a ‘public health issue’
The worrying trend of closing public playgrounds in the UK poses a real ‘public health issue’, say campaigners. Addressing a ‘massive decline’ in mainly urban playgrounds across the country, the Association of Play Industries (API) has...Read more
Bernard van Leer playground guide now in Spanish
The Bernard van Leer Foundation’s Playground Ideas for 0-3 years is now available in Spanish. This guide shares practical ideas for designing playgrounds that work for children aged 0-3 and their caregivers. It outlines the functions play...Read more
That public playground is good for your kids and your wallet
If you live near a public playground it can be a convenient outdoor destination for short excursions and a life-saving source of pressure relief when the kids are too surly to bear inside the house....Read more
Watching TV ‘has strongest link’ with childhood obesity – study
Watching television is the lifestyle habit ‘most strongly associated’ with obesity in children, says an international health research centre which looked at city children’s habits. The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) did a study of...Read more
If in doubt, let them out – children have the right to play
New research from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Measures Survey reaffirmed the dramatic decline in Canadian children’s fitness seen over the past 35 years — with only one-third of Canadian school-aged children meeting physical activity guidelines. Other...Read more
Bulgarian city offers tax cuts to families of sporty children
Getting children active has never been more important – kudos then to a Bulgarian city which is proposing to cut the taxes of families whose children take part in organised sport. The local taxes and fees...Read more
New UK government ‘must reinstate urban playgrounds’
The next government of the United Kingdom must provide ‘urgent and sustained funding’ for public playgrounds to reverse an ‘alarming decline’ in the past few years. That’s the message from the Association of Play Industries (API),...Read more