Spying on children during a school playground intervention using a novel method for direct observation of activities during outdoor play

ABSTRACT

Our aims were to examine the efficacy of a new observational instrument ‘System for Observing Outdoor Play’ for detecting changes in outdoor play and chart the use of recycled and repurposed materials in the school playground during the course of an intervention to increase outdoor play. Children from one Sydney primary school were observed (N = 111; 5–12 years) using an observational instrument developed as part of the Sydney Playground Project. Data on types of activities and frequencies were collected at baseline and seven times during intervention. Use of intervention materials was consistently high and associated with increases in play-related activities (40–77%), while inactive pursuits decreased (52–31%), on average. The observational instrument proved efficacious in tracking changes in play. Modification of the school playground environment by introducing loose parts changed children’s play-related behaviour; the variety of activities increased, including construction and creative play. Physical inactivity decreased. Recycled materials can increase children’s creative, social and physical play.

KEYWORDS:

• Recycled items
• play
• children
• observations
• physical activity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.​​​​

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [DP0986224]; National Health and Medical Research Council [570808].​​​​

Notes on contributors

Lina Engelen

Lina Engelen is a Research Fellow at the School of Public Health and the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her research interest is in the intersection between the physical environment and wellbeing. She studies how physical spaces, such as playgrounds, and modifications to them, influence children’s health, healthy behaviour (such as physical activity) and social interactions. Lina is founder of the Active Spaces network supporting innovation and collaboration in research into activity in the spaces we work, learn and play.

Shirley Wyver

Shirley Wyver is a Senior Lecturer in child development at the Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University, Australia. Her research interests are in early play and cognitive/social development. She also conducts research in the area of blindness/low vision and development.

Gabrielle Perry

Gabrielle Perry is a primary school teacher within the Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Broken Bay. She previously worked at the University of Sydney as a research assistant. Her research interests are children's play, creativity and homework.

Anita Bundy

Tammie Chan is a paediatric occupational therapist working with children to improve fine motor, gross motor, social and play skills. She has worked most extensively with children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental and learning delays. She is passionate about using fun, play based approaches to improve outcomes for the children she works with.

Tammie Kit Yee Chan

Anita Bundy has a joint appointment at Colorado State University, where she is department chair in occupational therapy, and at the University of Sydney, where this project took place.

Jo Ragen

Jo Ragen’s educational background is Leisure. She is a Senior Research Associate and a Phd student in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia. She served as the student facilitator on the research project that was the platform for this study. Her research interests include participation in everyday life, human rights, and inclusion.

Adrian Bauman

Adrian Bauman is Professor of Public Health at Sydney University, and co-directs the WHO Collaborating Centre on Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity. He works extensively in physical activity and health research, in chronic disease prevention and in public health research translation and the evaluation of complex public health programs.

Geraldine Naughton

Geraldine Naughton is a Professor in Paediatric Exercise Science in the School of Exercise Science, at the Melbourne campus of the Australian Catholic University. Her research focuses of improving health-related outcomes through physical activity, in young people. She has researched with a range of young populations from overweight and obese children to intensively training adolescents.