Unstructured activities (play) for children and young people

Research specification

Research question

• What interventions work to increase and sustain unstructured activities (or play opportunities) for children and young people?

Unstructured activities cover a wide range of play activities, as well as ‘activities of daily life’. Unstructured activities are often referred to as active play in younger children, but for older children unstructured time spent being active engaging with games and/or hobbies, whilst still play, is often not referred to as such. Throughout this funding opportunity we use both terms (active play and unstructured activities). There are many different types of play alongside active play (locomotor play), such as imaginative play and creative play. Play has a range of benefits, including supporting the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children. Through play children learn the skills needed to develop resilience, and this in turn helps children to build healthy relationships. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, article 31 reads "States Parties recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts". This funding opportunity will mainly focus on informal active play in all children, including older children, teenager and young people, however the Public Health Research (PHR) Programme would welcome research on any type of unstructured activities/play.  

Children need time for active play and to move their bodies as an essential part of healthy development. Active play is one of the easiest and most natural ways that children can get the recommended levels of physical activity, and active play maybe one of the best forms of physical activity for children as it is what children want to do. Play also develops physical literacy. The importance of play and recreation in the life of every child has long been acknowledged. Active play includes activities such as kicking a ball in the garden or park, playing in the playground, family splash-time at a swimming pool or playing hide and seek. Additionally, unstructured activity (or ‘activities of daily life’) could include family bike rides (leisure rides, as opposed to commuter rides) or family hikes. Research has shown that children enjoy being active with their family. Family-based approaches emphasise that families live in complex systems in which multiple interactions occur simultaneously. 

Although active play can take place both indoors and outdoors, outdoor active play gives the opportunity to experience freedom, practice fine and gross motor skills, including  boisterous movements and to connect with others in nature. Outdoor play also has the added benefits of exposure to sunlight and fresh air, which further contributes to children’s healthy development. For centuries children had the freedom to roam in their local area from an early age, however this has lessened, and it is no longer common for children to have the opportunity to ‘roam freely’ without adults. The dominance of cars has increased and roads can be dangerous, moreover, access to playground and greenspaces has declined, particularly in more deprived areas. With more indoor, isolated lives, older children and young people, especially, often replace active play and face-to-face social interaction by accessing their social life via digital devices. All of this has combined to make children more sedentary, isolated, unhealthy and unhappy.  

Under half of children and young people UK-wide are meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per day. Girls, children and young people of Black and Asian ethnicities, and those from less affluent families are even less likely to meet this guideline. This survey however only included structured physical activity, and there is limited data on unstructured activities in children (e.g. play, walking, cycling). The potential for unstructured activities to contribute towards increased physical activity levels may be substantial, especially for families with lower incomes.  

The PHR Programme recognises that interventions aimed at unstructured activities may overlap with active travel. A call for research on Active Travel has recently been advertised on the Programme’s website. Although applications with clear links between active play and active travel may be relevant to this funding opportunity, for example where the journey to a greenspace is by active travel, we would encourage applicants to also review the Active Travel call specification and consider which funding opportunity is more suitable for their application. Applications to the researcher-led workstream are also welcome at any time.  

The PHR Programme wishes to commission research on the health impact of interventions aimed at influencing children’s participation in active play. The programme is predominantly interested in the evaluation of interventions operating at a population level rather than at an individual level, and their impact on health inequalities and the wider determinants of health. The PHR Programme recognises that interventions are likely to impact different (sub)populations in different ways. Applicants should explain and justify their choice of (sub)population. 

Of particular importance to the PHR Programme is an understanding of inequalities in the impact of interventions on people from ethnic minority backgrounds and other vulnerable risk groups in the UK. 

The programme recognises that this funding opportunity is broad, but we invite researchers to be targeted in their chosen research area. 

Suggested research areas of interest could include (but are not limited to) an evaluation of:

• interventions aimed at tackling the inequalities experienced by different socio-demographic groups in the amount of time spent on unstructured activities and/or active play by children 
• research comparing structured activity interventions to unstructured activity interventions
• interventions aimed at increasing active play and/or unstructured activities  for children with disabilities and other underserved groups 
• how effective interventions are at tackling cultural preferences for, and perceptions of active play and/or unstructured activities and green spaces according to different socio-demographic factors, including gender, age, ethnicity, and culture of both the children and their parents
• local green space design (e.g. parks and playgrounds), quality and management to reduce access and accessibility inequalities to active play and/or unstructured activities, and to meet the needs of local families, including considerations of cultural and community needs
• the access to and accessibility of unstructured activities and/or active play interventions, including barriers independent travel to local space interventions and considering the perception of safety (e.g. safe playgrounds/parks)
• how context specific living, such as for example apartment living, rural/urban etc. has an impact on interventions aimed to increase active play and/or unstructured activities in children.

A range of study designs and outcome measures can be used. Researchers will need to clearly justify the choice of and describe the population group targeted (e.g. the age range of the children), as well as justify the most suitable methodological approach. Primary outcomes must be health related. Outcomes measures of interest include, but not limited to, physical activity, improved health and wellbeing, mental health, gross and fine motor skills. The programme would also be interested in secondary outcomes, such as learning social skills and risk management, however the primary outcome must be healthy related. Researchers are encouraged to consider other outcome measures that may be influential on policy makers as secondary outcome measures. All key outcome measures should be justified, and researchers need to specify how the outcomes will be measured in the medium and long term. It is recognised that the health outcome of interest may only be achieved later in the children’s lifecourse, and researchers will need to specify and justify any proxy health measures used. 

Understanding the value of public health interventions - whether the outcomes justify their use of resources - is integral to the PHR Programme, where resources relating to different economic sectors and budgets are potentially relevant.  The main outcomes for economic evaluation are expected to include health (including health-related quality of life) and the impact on health inequalities as a minimum, with consideration of broader outcomes welcomed. Different approaches to economic evaluation are encouraged as long as they assess the value and distributive impact of interventions.  Applications that do not include an economic component should provide appropriate justification.

We welcome partnerships between research active and other less active institutions and those located in geographical areas of deprivation.

Researchers are encouraged to explain how they will share their findings with policy makers, public health officers, special interest groups, charities, community audiences and other relevant stakeholders. Researchers are expected to be aware of other studies in this area, development in practice and ensure their proposed research is complementary. 

Application guidance

Please read our Domestic Outline Application guidance to help you complete all aspects of your application. You must read this alongside the information below, which details specific requirements our PHR Programme looks for in applications. You can also check our PHR Programme page for details about the Programme’s scope and remit. 

Research Plan

Your Research Plan must be a maximum of four A4 pages. Please include the following when writing your Research Plan.

Methodology/plan

Include the below detail in your methodology/plan:

Application process

Find out how to apply for this funding opportunity and what you need to do to get your application ready.

How to apply 

When you are ready to apply, you will need to log in to our application system to apply. This funding opportunity is on our new Awards Management System and you will need to create a new account to apply.

The closing date is 25 April 2025 at 1pm. Applications received after 1pm on the closing date will not be considered. 

Please read the following guidance before submitting an application:  

• All of the application guidance detailed in the 'Application guidance' section in this funding opportunity

Download application form template

You can download a Word document template of the application form below. Please use this template as a guide only, to help you prepare your application. For example, to see how many characters are accepted in each section and to see how information in the form is laid out. Please do not try to use this as an application form; it cannot be submitted as an application. You must submit your application online via our Awards Management System.

Research inclusion and reasonable adjustments

At NIHR we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture. We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and communities bringing diverse skills and experiences. If you need any reasonable adjustments throughout the application process, please contact the programme team via the information in the Contact Details tab.

Research Support Service

Got a research idea and not sure how to turn it into a funding application? The free NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) supports researchers in England to apply for funding. It can help you develop and deliver clinical and applied health, social care and public health research post award. 

Please speak to the NIHR Specialist Centre for Public Health (SCPH) about the design of your research as soon as possible by completing the RSS SCPH online form. A successful application takes a long time (several months) to develop.