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
Children 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 moreFour reasons why children need to be more active in school playgrounds, and what’s stopping them
School breaktimes might be assumed to be the most active period in a child’s school day. The fanciful notion that when the school ‘bell’ rings children flood the playground, running, jumping and actively playing with...Read more
Play Wales – publications for professionals
Play Wales, the national body for children’s play, has this year published a wide variety of guides and resources to help professionals working in and around the children’s play sector.Read more
Play Wales: Weighing up risks and benefits in children’s play
Play Wales has published a new information sheet aimed at helping children’s play organisers take the right approach in decision-making over play infrastructure.Read more
Outdoor play in Canada ‘should continue beyond the COVID pandemic’
An important incidental change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic has been our collective rediscovery of the outdoors. As we begin building back better, we have an opportunity to leverage this re-engagement to enhance our...Read more
Australia: ‘Children need playgrounds now, more than ever. We can reduce COVID risk and keep them open’
It’s been a tough 18 months for Australian families and their children. We can’t underestimate the cumulative impact of parent and carer job losses, mental strain, working from home and remote learning. As developmental paediatricians...Read more
‘Urban Playground’ makes the case for child-friendly cities – Tim Gill
No parent would ever say ‘this is a great neighbourhood – but I won’t let my child walk to school or play in the local park’. Former Bogotá mayor Enrique Peñalosa grasped this insight when...Read more
Social skills suffered during COVID but children in Northern Ireland are more resilient – report
Research into the impact of COVID on early-years classroom play in Northern Ireland points to a significant negative impact on children’s social skills and level of independence, but at the same time they have become...Read more
Playgrounds designed with accessibility in mind make play fun for every kid
When it comes to providing play opportunities to children with disabilities, not all playgrounds are created equal.Read moreUsing play to ‘school’ children’s emotions
Being socially and emotionally competent from an early age is likely to help children win acceptance by their peers, build better relationships with teachers, and facilitate academic learning.Read more
How to find a place for kids to play in the pandemic
Can parents and educators support opportunities for children to play, when so many of their activities are restricted by COVID-19?. That’s the question posed by Elizabeth Cushing, the president of Playworks, a US non-profit children’s...Read more
Play England webinar shares inspiring stories from play workers
Play England has produced a webinar and new practical guide to help organisations adopt a play-based approach as they slowly emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown.Read more
I redesigned a school playground for my PhD – and the children got better marks learning outside
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the education of at least 1.5 billion school students. That’s more than 90 per cent of the world’s children. Although many schools in the west, along with private schools in...Read more