The guidelines are based on research that suggests kids aged four and younger are much too sedentary.
How Much Time Should Children Be Given to Play Outside?
Play for children should not be determined by time, instead it should be reflected upon. In fact, consider this: are my children given the opportunity to be their creative and imaginative selves through play? Without opportunity, there is no “how much time” should children have to play outside. In today’s society, we are observing an exponential growth in young children from birth to five years with the possession and obsession of iPhones, Tablets, and TVs. It has become detrimental to our society, particularly hindering in the healthy development of children. These addictive devices are given to children for reasons such as to keep them quiet, to not be interrupted, etc. at locations such as malls, grocery stores, and even at homes. What happened to inviting children to have the opportunity to help you count money at the checkout or assist you in crossing items off the grocery list? These are the approaches that need to be reinforced back in our mindsets when handing a device to our children.
Countless of researches have argued the statement: Screen Time impacts children’s development and admittedly they’ve been proven to be correct. Cassandra Szklarski, author of Canadian Presspublished an article on Global News (2017), and states: “Excessive screen time before age five is linked to language delays, reduced attention, and lower school readiness”. Now in today’s society, references to “screen time” are now qualified as “sedentary screen time” due to the fact children are on their device’s morning and night, instead of given the opportunity to play outdoors. Nonetheless, screen time has become an increasing concern for children’s healthy development. More than half of preschoolers aged three to four exceed one hour of screen time per day. The vicious spike has evolved into its own phenomenon, leading to coining a whole new term: sedentary screen time.
Parents and schools are the root to the lack of exercise children are getting. That is (1) parents concern of their child’s safety and (2) children are spending more time in indoor classrooms than acquiring the exercise needed. Keeping children indoors and avoiding “risks” is only putting a negative impact on children’s health. That too goes for the supervision parents keep on their children. Parents should invite children to engage in adventure and partake in risks. They’re only benefiting from these open learning experiences. Children thrive when they’re given the trust and opportunity to explore, run wild, and be imaginative. The outdoors is where children can be expressive in all forms: body, mind, and senses.
Sources
Szklarski, C. (2017, Nov 20). Young children should get at atleast 3 hours of physical activity each day: study. Global News. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/3869932/children-need-more-exercise/
