Social play amongst preschool-aged children from an inner and an outer metropolitan suburb

Play is essential for healthy child development. While, the relationship between neighbourhood and young children’s physical activity is well reported in the literature, less is known about preschool children’s social play in different suburban settings. This study took a mixed methods approach. Seventy-two parents from an inner-suburb and 26 parents from an outer-suburb in a metropolitan city in Australia returned a survey on: who their preschool age children played with and where their children played. Twenty parents also consented to a follow up open-ended interview. Children from the inner-suburb played more with non-related children (p < 0.05) and in a wider range of formal and informal settings than children from the outer-suburbs. Neighbourhood, family and planning policy contributed to the differences in child socialisation and these were mapped using Bronfenbrenner’s Social Ecology model. Findings have implications for both service providers and policy makers in suburban settings.