Barriers for Outdoor Play in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Institutions: Perception of Risk in Children’s Play among European Parents and ECEC Practitioners

The study investigates the factors reported by kindergarten employees and parents that prevent outdoor free play in kindergarten. The study focuses particularly on what kindergarten employees and parents consider to be dangerous aspects of outdoor free play. The study investigates the topic across five countries (Greece, Norway, Estonia, Portugal and Croatia). The research questions are: (1) What prevents parents from allowing their children to play outdoors? (2) What prevents kindergarten staff from allowing children to play outdoors on the kindergarten playground? (3) At what age do parents allow their children the freedom to move independently outdoors?

A fear of traffic accidents was the parents’ main concern across all of the countries involved in the study. In Portugal and Greece, fear of strangers and poor access to outdoor play areas were also important reasons why parents did not allow their children to play outdoors. Fear of injury was not mentioned as a barrier by Estonian or Norwegian parents. Kindergarten staff in Croatia, Portugal and Greece reported weather conditions and poor play areas as the main barriers when it came to allowing children to play outdoors. Lack of time was also a barrier for Norwegian, Croatian and Greek kindergarten employees. Fear that the children would get hurt was only a concern for a small number of kindergarten employees. Neither Norwegian nor Croatian kindergarten employees reported a lack of access to play areas as a barrier. Estonian and Norwegian children were given the freedom to play outdoors on their own much earlier than children in Portugal and Greece. Croatia placed itself between these extremes. The researchers point to a divide between Northern and Southern Europe when it comes to society’s influence on children’s free play outdoors.

A total of 32 kindergarten employees and 184 parents responded to a survey that was adapted to their roles as kindergarten employees or parents respectively.

Sandseter, E. B. H., Cordovil, R., Hagen, T. L. & Lopes, F. (2020). "Barriers for Outdoor Play in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Institutions: Perception of Risk in Children’s Play among European Parents and ECEC Practitioners", Child Care in Practice, 26(2):111-129.