If you feel like you’re competing with your child’s iPod, xBox or Wii, you’re not alone. The Stanford University School of Medicine reports that children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation. The reason? Children are spending a large quantity of their time plugged in.
Although there are many benefits to educational games and social technology, children still need to see the light of day and participate in unplugged activities. As a nanny or parent, it is important to know the benefits of unplugging your child and limiting technology.
It’s no secret that children enjoy the benefits of hanging from jungle gyms and twirling on merry-go-rounds, but the sad reality is that their access to public parks and playgrounds is much more limited these days. The Center for Disease Control reports that only one out of five children in the United States live within a half-mile of a park or a playground and the availability of places to play looms far worse in low-income neighborhoods.
Numerous scientific studies prove the obvious: children are more likely to play outside and be more physically active when they live near a place to play. Safety is also a concern. More and more parents are keeping their children indoors or opting for indoor lessons and athletic events to reduce the risk of stranger danger.
Without outdoor play, your child could be at risk, though. Outdoor play allows a child to gain physical exercise, increase creativity and imagination and have an opportunity to work on social skills. They learn to share, negotiate and resolve conflicts while taking turns on slides and swings.
The Journal of Community Health further advocates that children with a park or playground in close proximity to their homes are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and that they have a healthier and happier outlook when engaging in free and unstructured outdoor play. Outdoor play can also have a positive impact on classroom behavior problems and reduce emotional outbursts, violence and a lack of ability to interact.
Dr. Eitan Schwarz, a Chicago-based child psychiatrist and author of Kids, Family and Technology: A Guide for Young Families, recommends parents and nannies prepare a digital media plan to encourage outdoor play and reduce time with technology. The plan should determine how often your child uses computers, watches television and plays video games at each stage of his childhood.
According to Schwarz, parents should not fear technology; however, just as you’d never give a young child free reign over the stove, don’t just hand over the mouse or remote.
there’s a reason that increased technology use and obesity seem to go hand in hand. it’s up to us as parents and caregivers to be proactive about getting our kids moving. be the example and the change!
We set time limits on technology. Our kids get an hour a day to play video games or mess around on the computer. They can break up that time or use it all at once, but once they reach their limit they have to go outside or do something else.