Outdoor play – a serious business

Abstract

A societal concern exists that children currently play less outdoors than any other generation before them. The lack of outside play is linked to various negative effects such as the rise in childhood obesity, a negative interference on children’s development, and a decreased wellbeing. This review of the literature maps the current knowledge on the effects of outside play on children and gives some general guidelines on how to move forward in the future.

In this thesis relevant data is gathered in one place on the function and impact of outdoor play on the development and wellbeing of children. The most important findings are that nature and outdoor play work synergistically and enhance the effectiveness of outdoor play. Natural playscapes are therefore to be preferred over constructed ones. Outdoor play is often inhibited in its execution and intensity due to our cultural desire to limit risky behaviour, reducing the effectiveness of outdoor play. The outdoor play environment can function as an educational setting, and function as a second classroom, but currently often training and knowledge are lacking in the educational staff.

And perhaps the most important outcome of this study is that the view on outdoor play is currently distorted in research and society due to an excessive focus on physical activity, partially due to a desire to combat the obesity epidemic. Play is therefore seen as a means to increase physical activity and nothing more. It disregards the notion that outdoor play affects many aspects of the wellbeing, health and development of children. These views limit the research, the research outcomes, and in the end the policies and guidelines on outdoor play.

And finally, I present a list of general guidelines regarding the implementation of outdoor play based on the current literature.