WHAT ABOUT THE TEENS & GROWN UPS?

In the London Study of Playgrounds, we found that 48.3% of users were over the age of 13.2 In the National Study of Playgrounds, it was 49%.

Despite perceptions that playgrounds are just for children, they are a public resource for all. However, they are typically not designed to support teens, adults, and seniors to be more physically active and foster social connection.

Adults and seniors were most attracted to picnic tables, benches, berms, and boulders, all places where they could sit or perch, with clear lines of sight to children playing. Teens were found most on benches and swings, spaces where they could be social and connect with friends.

An essential finding was that adults were most physically active when playing with children. The play features they used most together were swings, climbers, and spinners, particularly when these were larger scaled, open ended structures that supported adults moving and playing with their children rather than standing on the sidelines. Water play was also a favorite of all ages to engage together.

As almost half of visitors to playgrounds are over 13, getting them moving and active while in the playgrounds supports health for the whole family.

2 Innovative Playgrounds: Use, Physical Activity, and Implications for Health, Public Health, 2019