Many children admit they do not play outside enough

The national Playday has been organised by the Children's Society and the Children's Play Council.

An estimated 1,500 children attended one event at Lauriston Castle near Edinburgh and others took place in Aberdeen, Perth and Motherwell.

Playday's organisers said children needed to be given the time, space and the best facilities to play outside.

A survey carried out for Playday suggested that 40% of children did not play outside as much as they would like, with 20% saying they spent less than an hour a week in the fresh air.

There are concerns about too few facilities

Youngsters said they were reluctant to leave the comfort of their bedrooms because they fear for their safety and believe there are too few facilities.

Playday is billed as the country's largest annual play celebration, with all the events being organised by local people.

The event at Lauriston Castle featured attractions aimed at children from toddlers up to 12-year-olds.

Margaret Westwood, of Play Scotland, said: "We hope to raise awareness with parents and make them see it is good for children to be out playing.