ADDED
A few weeks ago, I read about how a new study in the US
suggested that childhood obesity could be linked to boring
playgrounds and this week the BBC reported that UK parents are
lacking confidence when it comes to playing with their children -
so how can parents, nurseries and schools put the 'play' back into
'playtime'?
A study in the US found that playgrounds are now less physically
challenging and more boring to children. Not only are the kids less
interested in the playgrounds, some parents also ask that their
child's physical activity is reduced for fear of injury. For the
study, researchers held focus groups with 49 daycare teachers from
34 child-care centers in Cincinnati to pick their brains on the
current state of play and physical activity at preschool.
Study author Dr. Kristen Copeland, an assistant professor of
pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
explained how "teachers were saying they were pressured by parents
and somewhat by state early learning standards to emphasize
classroom learning." As childcare may be one of the only
opportunities for outdoor play for some, playing it safe may also
mean playing it sorry.... click
here to read more
Back to the UK, and the BBC reported on the weekend how 13% of
parents felt anxious about play whilst 17% admitted buying toys and
video games to take the pressure off themselves and just under a
third of parents said they felt guilty for playing with their
children instead of doing their household chores.
The article also reported how 90% of children watched DVDs and
70% played video games, but only around a third climbed trees... click here to read
more
The survey coincides with a campaign by the National Trust to
encourage more outdoor play. "50 things to do before you're 11
¾" breaks activities down asking children if they want to be
an adventurer, discovered, ranger, tracker or explorer and lists a
variety of different things to do today, depending on the
weather. The website www.50things.org.uk
allows both children and parents to manage their own login, where
kids can create fun characters and parents can download PDF's
offering safety advice.
With almost half of 2,000 parents saying they would welcome
expert help on how to play, it looks like the site couldn't have
come at a better time!
Posted
at 08:30