Portugal is a great country for bringing up children in terms of social life. Everybody likes them, have patience for them and give them attention.
You can take young children, even babies, to restaurants and every body thinks it is the most normal thing. Baby cries don’t bother other people and young toddlers can wonder between tables and chairs without diners or restaurant staff complaining about it. And it is the same wherever you go. Children can touch displayed items in shops without a shop assistant standing behind them checking if they are going to brake anything. They are talked to by other shoppers while waiting in the long queue to pay for the week-end shop at the hypermaket. When on the beach, in the park or play ground older children, teenagers and adults always look out for and help ALL the kids, not just the ones they are responsible for.
All in all Portugal, like most of Southern European countries, is geared for bring up children in a calm friendly manner. Except when it comes to playgrounds. There are not many around. Certainly not 10-15 minutes walk away from wherever you live. And if there is happen to be one, it is most likely to have just one swing and a seesaw.
So, in my frustration I logged on to the internet to find playgrounds where I would like to take my children to. Did not find many there either. 
BHB Kidstyle 
Our next play ground here in the US is about a 10 min drive. So a few years down the road we broke down and bough our own swing, slide and climb set. It was just too much fuzz to pack up the kids and snacks every time they wanted to go play and then 15 min later they where done. Now after school the can go crazy in the back yard come back in and get their homework done.
I think the friendlier a country is for children the less playgrounds there are…people still play with the kids 🙂
Children have to go outside to burn off their energy in a healthy way. Run around, climb, play with each other. Children of those families who live in apartman flats don´t really have the opportunity do this. Toddlers sit in pushchairs/strollers for a 20 minutes walk with parents or grandparents. Kids between the age of 3-10 don´t really go out during the week because there isn´t a play ground to go to and aren´t many parks either.
Adults just simply no partners for children when it comes to outdoor play and game, unless there is a ball involved,