What’s Wrong with America’s Playgrounds and How to Fix Them - An Interview with Joe L. Frost

Oct 15, 2026

An interview with Joe L. Frost examines how and why children’s outdoor play and playground use have declined over recent decades, describing a “perfect storm” of forces removing children from play spaces. It outlines consequences for cognitive, social, and language development, physical fitness, health, and resilience to trauma, supported by research cited from pediatric, medical, and public-health organizations. Frost also highlights studies linking outdoor play and recess to reduced risks such as obesity and heart disease and discusses research on supervision, conflict resolution, and play-based healing processes in hospitals and disaster-affected settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

American Journal of Play Interview

Frost’s View of the Current State

Consequences of Limiting Outdoor Play

Research Supporting the Value of Play

Recess as Part of Health and Development

What’s Wrong with America’s Playgrounds and How to Fix Them An Interview with Joe L. Frost Joe L. Frost is Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas, Austin, and one of America’s leading experts on play and playgrounds. In addition to having taught child development and early childhood education at Texas and several other universities, he has written or edited fifteen university-level textbooks and more than one hundred articles and reports, lectured throughout the world, and served as a consultant to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and myriad cities, schools, universities, hospitals, and public park systems. He served as president of the Association for Childhood Education International and of the International Play Association USA and continues to direct research at the University of Texas Play and Play Environments Research Project. Here Frost talks about what sparked his lifelong interest in playgrounds, their evolution over the last half century, their current state, lawsuits and other factors that influence the way children play outdoors today, and current trends in playground design and development. He also makes recommendations for correcting inconsistencies in state and federal playground safety standards and regulations. American Journal of Play: Dr. Frost, you have observed and studied play, especially outdoor play and playgrounds, over a long and distinguished career. From your perspective, what is the current state of children’s play outdoors? Frost: It isn’t good. A perfect storm of events is changing the structure, function, and use of children’s playgrounds, and by that I mean all the outdoor places, built or natural, where children have always played. Over the last thirty years in particular, spontaneous outdoor play of all kinds has declined, both in vitality and in quality. Playgrounds and recess have fallen out of favor in neighborhoods and schools. For all our human history, even before playtime at school was called recess and grounds for play were called playgrounds, children had respites, time-outs, interludes, or breathing spells for free, spontaneous play outdoors. Now, for the first time, all across the nation, children are being removed from such places © 2008 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and activities, and the consequences for health and development are destructive and profound. AJP: What are some of those consequences? Frost: In general terms, limiting children’s outdoor play harms their cognitive, social, and language development. It limits their physical fitness, hurts their health, and reduces learning and the ability to cope with trauma. Research shows that when children engage in free, spontaneous play outdoors, they adapt more readily to their culture, to society, and to the world. They build fine and gross motor skills. They learn to negotiate and solve problems. They stretch their imagination. They become more flexible in their thinking, and they develop creative and aesthetic appreciation. AJP: We know, of course, that the body of research supporting the value of play is extensive, but what relatively recent studies or reports particularly impress you? Frost: There are, as you say, many studies, but I’ll give you four examples. In 2006, a clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics noted all the benefits I just mentioned and, in addition, cited healthy brain growth, development of multiple competencies, and increased leadership skills. A research review by the American Heart Association that same year and a Stanford University study in 2007 both supported the pediatric academy findings and cited the prevention of obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease. All of those are factors implicated in shortened life spans. The scientists who did this work concluded that physical education and recess at school and outdoor play at home are essential to h

FAQs

Why does Joe L. Frost say children’s outdoor play is declining?

He attributes it to a “perfect storm” of events altering how playgrounds function and are used, resulting in children being removed from these spaces and a long-term decline in spontaneous outdoor play.

What consequences does limiting outdoor play have, according to the interview?

Limiting outdoor play harms cognitive, social, and language development, reduces physical fitness and health, and makes children less able to cope with trauma.

What evidence does Frost cite to support the value of play and recess?

He references clinical and research reviews noting benefits such as healthy brain growth, multiple competencies, leadership skills, and prevention of obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Oct 15, 2026

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