The Biggest Risk Is Keeping Kids Indoors

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Participaction report card 2015This week, Participaction released the 2015 report card on activity in Canadian kids (a yearly exercise formerly undertaken by Healthy Active Kids), and its message is simple – send your kids outside to play!

This is how Participaction defines the protection paradox:

“We may be so focused on trying to intervene in our children’s lifestyles to make sure they’re healthy, safe and happy, that we are having the opposite effect….We overprotect kids to keep them safe, but keeping them close and keeping them indoors may set them up to be less resilient and more likely to develop chronic diseases in the long run.”

And it works best when you send the kids out alone – here is what research shows:

  • Grade 5 and 6 students who are often or always allowed to go out and explore unsupervised get 20% more heart- pumping activity than those who are always supervised.
  • 3- to 5-year-old kids are less likely to be active on playgrounds that are designed to be “safer,” because many kids equate less challenging with boring.
  • Children and youth are less likely to engage in higher levels of physical activity if a parent or supervising adult is present.

Safe is boring – who would have guessed?

And here’s even more research to support this idea:

  • Kids with ready access to unsupervised outdoor play have better-developed motor skills, social behaviour, independence and conflict resolution skills.
  • Adventure playgrounds and loose parts playgrounds, which support some exposure to “risky” elements, lead to an increase in physical activity and decrease in sedentary behaviours.

Simply stated:

“We need to consider the possibility that rules and regulations designed to prevent injuries and reduce perceived liability consequences have become excessive, to the extent that they actually limit rather than promote children’s physical activity and health. Adults need to get out of the way and let kids play.”

The full report card can be downloaded here.

Time to set your kids free!

@DrSharma
Edmonton, AB