The Children’s Centre is conducting a survey to find out how many children play outside and how often they are allowed to go out to play. Children and parents are being asked for their views in the online study. While today’s parents may have been used to playing outside, playing football in the street, building dens and going for bike rides, there is a perception that their children spend more time indoors watching TV or playing computer games. The study aims to find out if there is evidence to support this and, if so, to determine whether there are factors such as increases in road traffic or other safety concerns that are preventing children spending more time playing outside.
Chris Gregory, Play Development Officer at The Children’s Centre, said:
“Children’s outdoor play seems to be on the decline. The purpose of the survey is to gather some data together which we can use to determine ways to improve outdoor play opportunities for children. We want to have as much feedback as possible from parents because they’re the ones who say whether or not children can go out and play. If there are any issues or concerns that are stopping parents from letting their children going out to play, we want to hear about it.”
He added that the study was one of The Children’s Centre’s most ambitious pieces of research of its kind. Earlier this year Chris completed a ‘March2Work’ challenge. Every working day during March he travelled the 3km from his home in Onchan to The Children’s Centre, Woodbourne Road, Douglas, using 22 wacky ways to travel based on children’s toys and games. The list included travelling by space hopper, scooter, hobby horse, kid’s bike, skateboard and go-kart. On other days Chris made his journey without walking on the cracks in the pavement, or with his arms outstretched pretending to be an aeroplane, or bouncing a football.
It was part of Chris’s campaign to highlight the need for children to spend more of their free time playing outdoors. To take part in the play survey go to http://www.thechildrenscentre.org.im/news/take-the-children-s-centre-s-play-survey/.
