In the largest study of play in Britain, children on average spent more time playing in playgrounds than any other place.

The British Children’s Play Survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1919 adult respondents who had a child aged 5-11 years. The survey asked parents in April 2020 to respond about normal life before Covid-19 restrictions.

Away from home and in the garden, playgrounds are the most popular spaces for outdoor play at least once a week, closely followed by green spaces, and they are also the third most adventurous place for children’s play.

“We can see that playgrounds and green areas are critical spaces for children’s play, particularly outdoor, adventurous play. It is therefore crucial that all children have access to spaces like these for their development and wellbeing,”  said the paper’s lead author, Professor Helen Dodd.

“Recent years have seen a sharp decline in the number of playgrounds,” says Mark Hardy, Chair of the Association of Play Industries. “These community spaces are hugely under-funded and hundreds are disappearing. 

“There is now an urgent need for sustained investment in a UK-wide network of playgrounds to protect and enhance children’s health.”