Associations between early childhood experiences in outdoor play, risky play and screen time, and children's developmental health outcomes in kindergarten in British Columbia.

OBJECTIVES

Early exposures are increasingly recognized as influential in shaping children's long-term development. This study examines how children's early screen time, outdoor play, and risky play experiences relate to developmental vulnerability in kindergarten.

METHODS

This longitudinal study linked data from children (n = 4968; 51.1% male, 48.9% female) entering kindergarten in British Columbia in 2023 and 2024. Data from the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ) were linked with the Early Development Instrument (EDI). The CHEQ captured children's exposure to screen time, outdoor play and risky play in the six months prior to kindergarten entry as reported by caregivers, while the EDI assessed children's developmental health across five domains (physical, social, emotional, language and cognition, and communication skills) during kindergarten, as reported by teachers. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between exposure variables (outdoor play, risky play and screen time) and children's developmental vulnerability.

RESULTS

In total, 32.9% (n = 1635) of children were vulnerable on one or more domains of the EDI. Increased opportunities for risky play were associated with reduced vulnerability (aOR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.87-0.98), while more screen time in the early years was associated with increased vulnerability (aOR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.26-1.50). Outdoor play was not associated with overall developmental vulnerability; however, it was associated with reduced vulnerability in the physical health and well-being, and communication skills and general knowledge domains.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, these longitudinal results highlight the need to limit screen time and provide thrilling outdoor risky play opportunities in the early years to help reduce developmental vulnerability in kindergarten.