Social interaction and physical activity are of paramount importance to children’s health and development and parks are one setting where children can be active and interact with others. However, the specific features of parks that promote or support physical activity and social interaction are not well-understood. The aim of this study was to examine the perceived importance of a selection of park features for encouraging park visitation, park-based physical activity and social interaction among children. Participants (n = 272, 9.6 ± 1.1 years, 51 % female) attending primary schools in Melbourne, Australia completed a survey during school time. They rated (from 1 to 10) digital images of 42 park features according to how much each feature would make them want to “visit the park”, “be active in the park” and “be with other people in the park”. Mean rating scores were calculated for the whole sample, and separately for males and females. For each condition (visit, active, social), each feature was then assigned a ranking from 1 to 42 (1 representing highest mean rating score). A large adventure playground was the highest rated image for all three outcomes. The next highest rated images were: a giant slide and interactive areas for park visitation; an obstacle course and giant slide for park-based physical activity; and interactive areas and an obstacle course for social interaction. Many differences in ratings were observed by gender, highlighting the importance of considering all demographic groups. This study reveals important perspectives from children about which park features should be prioritised in park design to encourage them to visit parks and to be active and social during their park visits. This evidence will inform planners and urban designers to create parks that better suit the needs of children, particularly in relation to social interaction and physical activity.

社会互动和体育活动对儿童的健康和发展至为重要，而公园是儿童活跃和与他人互动的一种环境。但是，公园对促进或支持体育活动和社会互动的特定功能并没有被很好地理解。这项研究的目的是检验人们认为选择一系列公园设施对于鼓励公园参观，公园体育活动和儿童之间的社交互动的重要性。在澳大利亚墨尔本上小学的参与者（n = 272，9.6±1.1岁，女性51％）在上学期间完成了一项调查。他们根据42个公园要素的数字图像等级（从1到10），根据每个要素使他们想要“参观公园”，“在公园中活跃”和“与公园中的其他人在一起”的程度进行评估。计算整个样本的平均评分，男性和女性分别计算。然后针对每种情况（访问，活跃，社交），为每个功能分配1到42的排名（1代表最高平均评分）。大型冒险乐园是这三个结果中评分最高的图像。评分第二高的图像是：巨型幻灯片和公园参观互动区；障碍路线和大型滑梯，以公园为基础的体育活动；和互动区域以及社交互动的障碍之路。不同性别的收视率存在许多差异，突出了考虑所有人口群体的重要性。这项研究揭示了儿童的重要观点，即在公园设计中应优先考虑哪些公园功能，以鼓励他们参观公园，并在他们进行公园参观时保持活跃和社交。这些证据将帮助规划人员和城市设计师创建更适合儿童需求的公园，尤其是在社交互动和体育活动方面。