Children need outdoor play:
Children need outdoor play - Children today spend considerably less time playing outdoors than their parents did as children. With this year’s Government pledge of £235m investment to be spent over the next three years into improving and increasing safe play areas for children, research shows that children do still have a love of playing outdoors but they need that love re-ignited with the space, time and permission to do so.Leading playground designer and manufacturer, Wicksteed Playscapes, realise the importance of offering children the chance to express themselves in imaginative and physical play. The company’s highly experienced, creative design team use cutting-edge technology to continuously develop exciting and challenging playground equipment, which is attractive to children and affords them a range of play experiences and types. The design process at Wicksteed brings in a variety of other elements to ensure they provide what children want. The ‘Play Teams’ scheme has been implemented successfully into a number of schools nationwide and involves groups of children designing what they would like to see in a play area, taking into account colour schemes, types of equipment and layout. Most parents, carers and educators agree that outdoor play is a natural and critical part of healthy childhood. Through outdoor play activities, children learn some of the skills necessary for their childhood and adult lives including social competence, problem solving, creative thinking and safety skills. Wendy Russell, Lecturer in Playwork at the University of Gloucestershire, commented, “The benefits of children being able to play freely outdoors are enormous. There is much more to play than learning skills for adult life. Research shows that play, being spontaneous, non-literal and not particularly aimed at any outcome, helps children to build a repertoire of responses to the things they encounter in their lives as children. In their play children deliberately seek out uncertainty (hanging upside down, getting dizzy, playing scary imaginative chase games and so on), the important thing being the emotions they can experience whilst doing this. This helps to develop a disposition – a way of approaching the world – that is flexible rather than rigid, as well as things like emotion regulation, peer and place attachments and stress response systems that make for a better childhood as well as a better future.” Regular access to outdoor play areas allows children to use their whole bodies and improves motor skills development as well as offering an outlet for reducing everyday stress – a physically tired child is far more content! Professor Rachel Davey, Director of the Centre for Sport & Exercise Research, Staffordshire University says, “Research shows that active play is a natural instinct for young children as demonstrated by their urge to run, climb and jump in outdoor spaces. Such physical movements and play activities enhance muscle growth and support the growth of the child’s heart and lungs as well as all other vital organs essential for normal physical development.” The fundamental reasons for the decline in children taking part in outdoor play are a dependence on home entertainment; television and other digital media and parent’s concerns about safety – creating a ‘cotton wool’ culture. The more a play area is used by families, the safer it becomes. Phil Holden, Managing Director of Wicksteed Playscapes commented, “We see our role as a stimulating play equipment provider as extremely important. As well as continuing to develop and extend the success of our Play Teams we are working with The University of Northamptonshire to conduct further research into the effects of play and types of play equipment on children’s health and wellbeing.” With play now being viewed as vital for a child’s healthy mental and physical health and development, we must ensure that all children are able to frequently access safe outdoor play areas and with campaigns such as National Play Day (held on 6 Aug) and Governmental funding for play – it is all a positive way forward. << back to media centre
