‘Eyes on where children play’: a retrospective study of active free play

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influenced childhood active free play. Participants were 13 young adults who resided in one western Canadian city. They took part in semi-structured and walk-along interviews during which they were asked about their memories and experiences of play. Analysis showed that, whereas parental restrictions and safety concerns were limiting factors, a sense of community and safety in numbers facilitated their involvement in active free play. However, the young adults thought these factors had since become eroded from modern society. We concluded a reduced sense of perceived safety exists because there are fewer eyes on where children play.

Keywords:

• play
• neighborhoods
• children
• safety

Acknowledgement

This study was funded by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded to Dr Holt and Dr Spence.