Opening in Gouda

In Gouda, junior mayor Pheline van der Linden, together with Gouda's junior council and alderman Michel Klijmij-van der Laan, opened the seventeenth National Outdoor Play Day. Many children took part in the mini quiz, while the Paw Patrol and Jantje Beton mascots enthusiastically gave high fives. After the starting signal, the children ran to the panna pitch and play equipment and enjoyed themselves in the Groenhovenpark nature playground. Free fruit, water, ice cream, poffertjes and coffee rounded off the day.

In many municipalities, National Outdoor Play Day is used to put outdoor play on the map. Children play outside together and meet one another. This paves the way for them to arrange to meet and go outside together after this day as well. At www.buitenspeeldag.nl there is a map showing around 700 organised activities. The variety and creativity of the organisers is enormous: traditional Dutch games, an obstacle course made of ‘loose parts', a fitness and fun day, bouncy castles, rubber duck races, kerb games, panna cages and much more. There is often also something tasty to eat and drink, so children can keep playing for a long time!

Research

The 2024 Outdoor Play Research shows why a National Outdoor Play Day is still very much needed:

  • 51% of children in neighbourhoods with little greenery never or hardly ever play outside without an adult nearby.
  • Children in urban areas play outside 3 hours less per week than children in non-urban areas.
  • Reasons for playing outside less: 1) few other children 2) considered dangerous by parents and children 3) children are less often allowed to decide for themselves.
  • Children in urban areas are less often allowed to decide for themselves whether they play outside (28%), compared with children in non-urban areas (45%).

Fortunately, these findings are also balanced by positive results:

  • 8 out of 10 children are happy when playing outside.
  • Children give outdoor play a score of 7.9.
  • 50% of children aged 6 to 12 would like to play outside more.

Favourite play areas

The research also shows that the places children like best are a large playground, preferably with a trampoline, followed by woods and nature, the school playground and a field nearby.