Many children spend a considerable amount of time on the Internet as well as on their mobile phones and other devices. Even though these children may be playing games, reading stories, or interacting with friends and family on social media platforms, there is some concern that they’re not engaging in enough physical activity. Furthermore, there is also concern that they’re not experiencing enough face-to-face social interaction. A recent poll found that 66% of parents are actually worried that their children spend too much time on these types of devices.
While 83% of parents agreed that it was important for their children to learn about technology and how to use it, most would prefer that their children spend more time outdoors. This was the case with nine out of ten of the parents that participated in the questionnaire. According to research, children only engage in outdoor play for roughly four hours every week. It’s interesting to note that this is less than their parents’ generation, which tended to play outdoors for 8.2 hours a week when they were children.
The Kaiser Family Foundation conducted research on this subject as well. They found, for example, that children between the ages of eight to 18 are spending 4.5 hour per day watching television. In addition to viewing shows and movies on actual television screens, they are also watching these on their mobile phones and other devices.
Studies have shown that when children engage in play, it stimulates their brain’s development. Given this, it’s vital for their development to participate in activities that will stimulate their gross motor skills. Outdoor play can make a difference, particularly within the first five to six years of life. Otherwise, they may not develop the motor skills that are so crucial for them as they become older.
The Sports and Fitness Industry Association’s classification of an “active to a healthy level” of exercise is 25 minutes three times a week. More specifically, children need to engage in high-calorie-burning physical activity. When children spend this amount of time at playgrounds, it can assist them with receiving the recommended amount of exercise. It’s also possible that they will spend even more time being active when they have access to a quality playground.
If you are involved with a local school, community center, or park and recreation department, it’s important to ensure that there is a quality playground nearby for the neighborhood children. A playground border can be easily created to delineate an area for children to play and run around. Once you have a playground border created, sandboxes, swing sets, tube slides, and other quality playground equipment will encourage children to engage in a variety of physical activities that will develop their motor skills.
When you have an existing playground border that needs upgrading or repairs, swing set replacement parts as well as other supplies are available. This includes park benches, trash cans, and dog park agility equipment for children and families with pets. Since engaging in regular physical activity is so important for children as well as their parents, having a local playground can provide a positive environment to accomplish this goal.