Preschoolers’ Play Behavior in Outdoor Environments: Effects of Traditional and Contemporary Playgrounds

Abstract

This investigation was undertaken to examine the differential influence of a traditional and a contemporary playground on preschool-age children’s social, cognitive, and physical play behaviors. The findings provided modest support for less physical play activity in a contemporary playground setting. However, there appears to be little differential playground influence on children’s verbal interaction, social play, and cognitive play behaviors between these two settings.