Getting Your Kids To A Park Or Playground May Change Their Future

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 11, 2026 (HealthDay News)  — Taking your kids to the playground does more than get them some fresh air and a good night’s sleep.

British researchers report that children who visit a playground or park once a week may enjoy better mental health later on. It also helps build their social skills.

"Parks give children space to be physically active, which is known to support mental and physical health, as well as helping adventurous and imaginative play to build confidence and independence," study leader Mark Ferguson, a research fellow in public health and sports sciences at the University of Exeter, said in a news release. "We believe parks could be more than places to play, but an important resource for children’s healthy development."

Because they’re so important to children’s emotional well-being, social skills and mental health, he said, communities need "good-quality parks that are safe, accessible and welcoming to families from all backgrounds."

The new research included more than 4,200 children participating in a long-running study in the U.K.

This time, researchers focused on how children develop the skills needed to get along with other kids, behave appropriately, cope with challenges and understand their feelings. 

Developing these skills is key to good mental health in childhood and beyond.

After controlling for factors like family adversity and economic status, researchers found when kids went to parks frequently, their social and emotional development was better than during periods when they did not.

Still, as in many other areas of life, kids from more well-to-do homes got a head start. They appeared to visit parks more often than those from less affluent homes when they were younger, though this tapered off when they got a little older.

The authors said this matters because parks are often free or low-cost spaces. As such, they could help reduce inequalities, but "only if good-quality options are available, safe, welcome and easy for all families to use."

The study drew on data from the long-running "Children of the 90s" study, which has been following the same kids over many years. Its aim is to see how changes in their lives relate to their later health.

In this case, researchers found that kids who were taken to the park at least on a weekly basis from birth to age 11 scored significantly better on mental health assessments — 16.5% better, in fact — than kids who visited less often.

They said more work is needed to understand whether their findings apply to kids in more diverse communities.

The findings were published Tuesday in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

More information

The University of Bristol has more about the Children of the '90s study.

SOURCE: University of Exeter, news release, Nov. 10, 2026