["Child &Family Social Work, Volume 31, Issue 2, Page 810-822, May 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nAlthough some research has been conducted on the COVID‐19 pandemic's effect on a variety of population groups, the primary focus has been on the economic aspects. Very little research has been conducted on the pandemic lockdowns' effect on children's recreational activities, despite global recognition that play is an integral part of children's growth and development. Furthermore, there is scant evidence regarding the effects of the 3‐week confinement on children's recreational activities in Ghana. The study used a cross‐sectional mixed‐methods approach to obtain data from a sample of 385 children aged 10–17 in the Ghanaian cities of Accra and Tema. The study's objectives are to examine the prevalence of children's participation in recreational activities during the lockdown, the kinds of recreational activities participated in by children, the reasons for children's lack of participation in recreational activities and the effect of the lockdown on children's engagement in recreational activities. The results show that seven in 10 children engaged in recreational activities, with participation being higher in females than males. The pandemic lockdown impacted children's capacity to enjoy unrestricted play due to restricted mobility, school closures and heightened parental fears, which collectively limited outdoor and social play opportunities. Even though the COVID‐19 pandemic has been declared officially over, the paper recommends using the current study's findings as a foundation and a guide for future events involving young people's participation in leisure and recreation under similar confinement conditions.\n"]