Do you make sure the kids play outside everyday?By Dr. C. Everett Koop
CNN Online
Here are some statistics to ponder:
* Thirty percent of third-graders had fewer than 15 minutes of recess a day. (Pediatrics, January 2009).
* More than 24 percent of U.S. children 2 to 5 are overweight or obese. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, December 2009).
* More than 31 percent of all children in the U.S. are obese or overweight. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2010).
Unstructured playtime, especially outdoors, is one of the most valuable gifts we can give our children. Not only does it give them the physical activity they need, but they learn social skills and life lessons that may later serve them well in a board room.
The negotiations, the compromises, the strategy sessions ... all of this is a part of the games that people have for generations played growing up. Life was once as simple as a stick and a ball, or an old can, or a piece of chalk.
But as important as the social skills that games and playtime can build, the health benefits can be even more consequential. The reasons are at the top of this article. Past generations of kids were simply not routinely obese.
Let your kids go out and play. But you're not going to be able to just tell them, are you? So make your kids go out and play.
Kids ought to grow up playing outdoor games such as stickball, hopscotch, Kick the Can, and ringolevio. Now who's out playing in the afternoon? No one.
Turn off the video games, shut down the computer, unplug the television ... and send your children outside for some good old-fashioned fun. One day they will thank you for it.
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Do you make sure the kids get outside to play everyday?
2 comments:
The kids don't watch any tv on my time and get plenty of outdoor exercise. This summer the oldest child went to an educational summer camp instead of sports orientated camp and gained some weight. But, he still played outside at least an hour everyday after camp.
During the school year the child will be in sports ensuring exercise each day.
It really depends on the weather. We've made it outside the last couple of days, but it's to run to the pool for as long as we can stand the heat. Today we go to the beach, so hopefully it will be better there.
During the school year, they get plenty of outdoor time at school as schools in Southern CA spend a lot of time outdoors such as for lunch, etc. Usually by the time they get home, it's homework time. Weekends they'll play outside in the pool or do sports.
There's a strict no tv rule during the school year.
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