An Investigation of the Status of Outdoor Play

Abstract

This study discusses the extent to which children in the USA today participate in active, outdoor play, compared with the previous generation. Eight hundred and thirty mothers nationwide were surveyed regarding their active, outdoor play experiences as children, as well as their children's play experiences today. The mother's play experiences, compared with the child's, clearly indicate that children today spend considerably less time playing outdoors than their mothers did as children. The study reveals several fundamental reasons for this decline, including dependence on television and digital media, and concerns about crime and safety. The study also conveys findings related to the frequent use of electronic diversions and discusses several suggestions for early childhood professionals, classroom teachers, and parents for fostering the child's enjoyment for outdoor play.

Parental influence on children’s physical activity in urban green spaces

“…However, in general meaning when we added the confounding factors, our results show that parents' physical co-activity was negatively related to frequency of children's PA in UGS, which means parents' participation in children's PA negatively affects frequency of children's PA. On the other hand, similarly to previous studies (Sigmund, et al, 2008;Brockman, et al, 2009;Zecevic, et al, 2010), we found that frequency of parents' PA with children was associated with frequency of children's PA and duration of parents' PA with children was associated with duration of children's PA in UGS. One of the possible explanations for the findings is that when parents take their children to parks or playgrounds for PA, they try to guard them due to the various concerns such as fear of traffic accidents, teenage gangs, or fear of strangers (Clements, 2004;Veitch, et al, 2006), parents may tend to limit children's visit to the UGS for PA. Alternatively, parents' responsibilities at home may have negatively affected frequency of children's PA. If parents, on the other hand, go the UGS to do PA, it positively affects frequency of children's PA.…”

Risky Play

“…Research on childhood indicates that children's freedom to engage in risky and adventurous activities in uncontrolled settings has decreased in the past decades (Francis & Lorenzo, 2006). In the USA, children's involvement in outdoor play has decreased dramatically (Clements, 2004). In Norway, a country with a tradition for a relaxed attitude towards risky play, more elaborate restrictions are gradually introduced to promote childhood safety (Sandseter & Sando, 2016).…”

Ability to be active: exploring children's active play in primary schools

“…Play England/BTHA, 2011). Various studies have provided evidence to show that young people today are less likely to engage in active, outdoor play with their peers than the generations before them (Clements, 2004) and that children now have far fewer opportunities for self-directed play (e.g. McArdle, 2001;Gray, 2011).…”