New research links outdoor play to better mental health as experts attack play ban signs

“Keep off the grass” and “No ball games” signs should disappear from public spaces because they may stop young children from playing outdoors, a child psychology professor has warned.

Prof Helen Dodd, professor of child psychology at Exeter Medical School, said signs that discourage play send the wrong message to children and parents. Instead of making families feel unwelcome, she wants public spaces to invite play and movement.

Her comments come ahead of new research showing a strong link between outdoor play in early childhood and better mental health later on. The study found that for children aged two to four, every extra day of outdoor play in a typical week raised the chances of good mental health by up to 14 per cent by the age of eight.

Researchers analysed data from 4,151 children in the Growing Up in Scotland cohort. They examined symptoms of mental health difficulties when the children were aged four, five, six and eight.

The study looked at externalising symptoms, such as aggression, impulsivity and hyperactivity, as well as internalising symptoms, including anxiety and depression. Children who played outdoors more often at ages two, three and four were more likely to stay in a low-symptom, good mental health group through to middle childhood.

For each additional day of outdoor play during the preschool years, the odds of a child having a healthier mental health profile by age eight rose by between 6 and 14 per cent.

Prof Dodd said outdoor play is not a small extra in a child’s life. For very young children, she argued, it is essential. It helps them move, connect socially, test their bodies and manage frustration in ways that indoor settings often cannot offer.

She said some of the most accessible green spaces are also the places where warning signs make families feel they should not play chase, kick a ball or use the grass. Many of these signs have been around for years, and she said they now appear even around new developments.

Prof Dodd wants that message reversed. She suggested that spaces should carry signs saying play is welcome, rather than telling children what they cannot do.

Researchers also called on the Government and local authorities to provide proper funding for playgrounds and green spaces, including their maintenance. The Government has committed £18m to refurbish and upgrade play areas, but Prof Dodd said that amount was not much when spread across the country.

She also pointed to other barriers that keep children indoors. These include rising screen time, parents lacking time to supervise outdoor play, and children not having the right clothes for different weather conditions.

Haroon Chowdry, chief executive of the Centre for Young Lives, also criticised “No ball games” signs. He said outdoor play supports children’s mental and physical health, confidence and wellbeing.

He warned that children are now growing up less active, less healthy and less happy than earlier generations. In his view, society has made it harder for children to play outside by reducing opportunities, cutting school play time and allowing a culture that tells children their play is not welcome.

Mr Chowdry called for a national ban on “No ball games” signs and for updated park bylaws to make public areas more welcoming, healthy and active for children.

The study is published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Its message is direct: children need space to play, and signs that push them away may be doing more harm than many adults realise.