IN columns, my books, blogs, newsletters and in workshops I have said it hundreds of times.
Kids need to be more active. They need to engage in unstructured physical play.
I recently received the 2012 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth by Active Healthy Kids Canada and their strategic partners, Participaction and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute - Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group.
The results are no surprise. The Report Card reports that Canadian children and youth are not playing enough; assigning an "F" grade for Active Play and Leisure. Fortysix per cent of Canadian kids are getting a mere three hours or less of active play per week, including weekends.
Additionally, kids spend 63 per cent of their free time after school and on weekends being sedentary. This is alarming news, as active play is a promising, accessible and cost-effective solution to help Canadian children and youth meet the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.
We know kids need to play. They need to run and jump and climb and yes, sometimes fall.
"Unstructured play is declining with each generation, and this is having a negative effect on the health and wellness of our children and youth," says Dr. Mark Tremblay, chief scientific officer, Active Healthy Kids Canada, and director of HALO. "Kids of all ages should have regular opportunities for active play, where they can let loose, explore, run, climb, crawl and play in parks with friends, like their parents once did. Active play is fun, but it is also shown to improve a child's motor function, creativity, decisionmaking, problem-solving and social skills."
"Play has been called the business of childhood, because it is what our children and youth should be spending their time doing," says Kelly Murumets, president and CEO of Participaction. "We have a responsibility to get out of our children's way and give them the time, space and freedom to run around, direct their own activities and learn from their mistakes. The reward will be increased confidence, a sense of adventure and, perhaps most importantly, a love for being active."
The greatest barrier to child physical activity is concern about safety. Parents are more comfortable when they know exactly where their children are and what they are doing. Unfortunately, what they are doing is being sedentary. In an effort to keep kids safe we are not doing them any favours. We are raising kids who are not learning how to be creative, how to problem-solve with other kids at the playground and how to manipulate their environment. The trick is to prepare them to be as safe as possible.
Teach them how to walk to school or the park and have them play with other kids. Instead of in-home playdates, arrange for kids to meet at the local playground or at the very least in one child's yard.
There are steps we can take to facilitate child play. It's important to make sure your kids have free time and it is seen as a fun regular time for active play. Give children and youth the opportunity to play freely and spontaneously after school and on the weekends by letting them decide what they would like to do. They can connect with other children at the playground, play a game of hide and seek, dance or explore nature. Create a safe, open area at home - either indoors or outdoors - with balls and toys that encourage active play. Create an environment that helps foster imagination and spontaneity, with access to items to build a fort, a costume trunk and music. Kids need free time to play without direct supervision, and without the assumption they are "up to no good."
Ensure your childcare provider offers periods where kids can play actively throughout the day. Look into different play spaces, like fields or nature areas, to help facilitate active play. A new play environment can keep your child engaged. Kids are naturally curious and want to be active. Just let them go and they will happily be active and much healthier.
Kathy Lynn is a parenting expert who is a professional speaker and author of Who's In Charge Anyway? and But Nobody Told Me I'd Ever Have to Leave Home. If you want to read more, sign up for her informational newsletter at www.parentingtoday.ca.
