Key Facts:
- Australia received a D- for overall physical activity levels in the most recent Global Matrix 4.0 international benchmark, with only around one in four children meeting the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day.
- ABS data shows children spend 46.6% of break time sedentary on unmarked hard surfaces, meaning school playgrounds represent a significant missed opportunity for physical activity.
- A University of Sydney cluster randomised controlled trial across 12 primary schools found that simple, low-cost playground interventions measurably increased children's physical activity and social skills, with researchers concluding such interventions could be adopted in every primary school.
- Playground line marking offers a practical, low-maintenance solution, requiring only a term-break installation window and no ongoing supervision, programme administration, or grant funding to function effectively.
- EduMarking supplies heat-applied thermoplastic playground markings - including fitness circuits, activity zones, and curriculum-aligned designs - to schools nationally, with installations lasting seven or more years and completed within one to three days.
MELBOURNE, Australia - 06 October 2026 - EduMarking, a national supplier of playground and outdoor services to Australian schools, says the evidence connecting structured playground environments to children's physical activity levels is now well established, and that most schools already have the surface area needed to act on it.
Australia received a D- for overall physical activity levels in the Global Matrix 4.0, the most recent international benchmark published by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance. Only around one in four Australian children meets the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. School breaks represent 30 to 40% of a child's activity window during the school day. On bare, unmarked asphalt, that time produces less movement than it could: ABS data shows children spend 46.6% of break time sedentary on unmarked hard surfaces.
The University of Sydney's Sydney Playground Project, a cluster randomised controlled trial across 12 primary schools, found that simple, low-cost playground interventions measurably increased children's physical activity and social skills. The researchers concluded these interventions have the potential to initiate a self-sustaining cycle of prevention for childhood obesity, bullying, and poor mental health. The study's conclusion is direct: these interventions could be adopted in every primary school.
EduMarking's position is that playground line marking is the practical, permanent version of that intervention logic. A structured surface with game markings, activity zones, and fitness circuits gives children reasons to move during every break, without requiring teacher supervision, additional funding cycles, or program administration. The marking is installed once, carries a five-year product warranty, and functions independently for the life of the surface.
"The research on this is not ambiguous. Children move more on structured surfaces than on bare asphalt. The barrier is rarely about whether schools want to improve physical activity. It is about which interventions are practical, affordable, and do not create more work for already stretched staff. A playground marking does not need a program coordinator. It does not need a grant renewal. It needs a term-break installation window and it works every day after that," said Sally Reiter, Sales Manager at EduMarking.
EduMarking provides playground line marking across primary and secondary schools nationally, including fitness circuits, activity zones, game markings, and curriculum-aligned numeracy and literacy designs. Heat-applied thermoplastic installations are rated to last seven years or more under daily school use and are completed in one to three days during school holiday windows. The company has worked with more than 10,000 schools worldwide.
About us:
About EduMarking
EduMarking supplies playground and outdoor services to schools nationally, spanning thermoplastic line marking, concrete resurfacing, outdoor seating and shade structures, outdoor musical instruments, and playground maintenance. The company has worked with more than 10,000 schools worldwide and operates across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia.
