Investigating the use of playgrounds by tweens: a systematic observation study

Playgrounds provide a developmental framework for social and physical interactions of children. School playgrounds have been extensively investigated but little research has focused specifically on tweens’ (9–12-year-olds) use of school playground equipment. In this study, we investigated play categories, play equipment use, and play activities of tweens. On four Danish school playgrounds, 991 children were observed by trained observers using The System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth (SOPLAY). Prevalence of play categories and utilization of play equipment were calculated using SPSS, and activity descriptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results showed that physical play and talkative play accounted for 80% of tweens’ play on play equipment and that swings had the highest utilization rate while ball game play equipment had the highest average of users. The highest utilization rate was found on swings and ball game equipment for boys and climbing equipment for girls. Activities were described as hanging out, games with rules, challenging play, and innovative play. Incorporating play equipment that meets the needs of tweens is important to retain their interest in social and physical play. If we want to enhance school playground use by tweens, we must consider physical and talkative play options.