Creating Playgrounds in Collaboration with Children: A Critical Literature Review

Children engage in play within their communities and as more children live in cities, these experiences often occur on playgrounds. Children have the right to collaborate with adults and make decisions regarding the planning, construction, evaluation and management of these spaces. This critical literature review examined fourteen original, peer-reviewed studies, published between 2004-2020 that focused on children’s participation during the creation of playgrounds. Following an extensive search process across five multidisciplinary databases, the findings were compiled into themes, which included children’s playground design preferences, children’s perceptions of participation and adults’ perceptions of participation. Gaps and inconsistencies within the literature were explored as well as the benefits of participatory research. Finally, recommendations for future playground design projects were delineated including, ongoing communication and involvement in decision-making, learning about children’s rights, providing realistic experiences and engaging in reflective practice.