One in three children do not play outdoors after school, study finds

One in three children do not play outdoors after school and a fifth do not do so at the weekend, according to research that found outdoor play contributes to the development of social and emotional skills.

- Sally Weale

The University of Exeter study looked at data from 2,500 children between seven and 12 from the multiethnic Born in Bradford research programme, which tracks the health, development and well-being of mothers and children from pregnancy onwards.

Based on information from questionnaires completed by their parents, researchers measured the social-emotional skills of the children using the "total difficulties score", a screening tool that can help identify potential behavioural or emotional issues in children and young people.

They found outdoor play had a positive effect on children's social-emotional skills. They were better able to understand, manage and express emotions and behaviours, as well as interact with the world around them and build relationships.