title: Beyond Physical Activity: The Importance of Play and Nature-Based Play Spaces for Children's Health and Development.
abstract: The reduction of child obesity continues to be a challenge worldwide. Research indicates that playing outdoors, particularly in natural play spaces, boosts children's physical activity, potentially decreasing childhood obesity. We present evidence that natural play spaces also provide for more diverse forms of play for children of varying ages and competencies. This is crucial because play spaces designed expressly for physical activity may not increase physical activity among less active children. Moreover, when researchers only examine physical activity in play, they overlook the valuable contributions that play makes to other aspects of children's health and development. To enhance research on children and their play environments, we introduce the theory of play affordances. To assist in the creation of more natural play spaces, we describe the Seven Cs, an evidence-based approach for designing children's play spaces that promotes diverse play. We end with some preliminary insights from our current research using the Seven Cs to illustrate the connections between play, nature, and children's healthy development.
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, #383 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada. susan.herrington@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herrington
authors.affiliation: Child & Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, F508 - 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4, Canada. mbrussoni@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brussoni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004779:Environment Design; D015444:Exercise; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012931:Social Environment
keywords: Design; Environment; Landscape architecture; Natural; Obesity; Playground