Editor’s note: This post was updated on Oct. 21, 2020.
The following is a statement released by Outdoor Play Canada on the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and which we at Active for Life endorse wholeheartedly. Please read it and share it with your friends or colleagues if you agree!
New research from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Measures Survey reaffirmed the dramatic decline in Canadian children’s fitness seen over the past 35 years with only a third of Canadian school-aged children meeting physical activity guidelines. Other research from the same survey showed that stats, with each additional hour spent outdoors per day being associated with 7 more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, 762 more steps, and 13 fewer minutes of sedentary time. Canadian children need to get outside to play more, to help them move more – and it is their right.
November 20th marks the 30th anniversary of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This document enshrines a child’s right to play – Article 31(1) states that “States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child… 31(2) … and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.” Article 24(2f) also commits states to “To develop preventive health care, guidance for parents…” which can include the health benefits of active play.
Canada is failing to honour these commitments.
The 2018 ParticipACTION Report Card on the Physical Activity of Children and Youth gives Canada a “D” grade for “Active Play and Leisure Activities,” while the 2019 UNICEF Canada Baseline Report for the Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-being [PDF] shows that only 21% of children ages 5 to 11 engage in at least 1.5 hours a day of active play and unstructured activities. The recent Statistics Canada research reaffirms these findings.
Playing outdoors is better than indoors, but the availability of digital media coupled with fears concerning stranger danger, and play injury, among others have shifted children indoors. A recent Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play [PDF], that is endorsed by the Canadian Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health, concluded that “Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks—is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.”
In an era of schoolyard ball bans and debates about safe tobogganing, have we as a society lost the appropriate balance between keeping children healthy and active and protecting them from serious harm? Have we restricted a child’s right to play and their access to the holistic health benefits of active outdoor play?
Adults’ fears about all that can go wrong when children play is a barrier to letting children play outside.
In the case of schools and other institutions, these fears can result in unnecessary and restrictive policies that limit the amount and type of play available to children. Yet the injury statistics show that children today are safer than at any other time in Canada. Car crashes are the leading causes of child death, yet we do not hesitate to put our children in cars to “keep them safe.” The risk of abduction by a stranger is very remote. The last estimate was 1:14 million, about the same as winning Lotto 649. The likelihood of a child dying from a fall from play equipment or a tree is even lower at 1:70 million, and there are no recorded deaths for children falling from trees in the 17 years of available statistics. Serious injuries are also extremely rare; the likelihood of sustaining a fracture while playing is 0.0004%.
There are also unique benefits of being in the outdoors, particularly in nature. When children play the way they want outdoors they move more, sit less and play longer. They get their hands dirty and are exposed to microbes that help them build immunity. They make their own goals and figure out the steps to attain those goals. They learn, build resilience, develop social skills, and learn how to manage risks and keep safe. Their eyes get the exercise needed to combat short-sightedness.
The research is clear: children’s outdoor play supports a myriad of health and developmental outcomes. Despite these benefits and the remoteness of adverse events we restrict our children’s right to play outside.
On the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child we are reminded of our duty to provide, encourage and facilitate active outdoor play for our children’s healthy development.
If in doubt, let them out – it’s their right.
Kumbuka: Chapisho hili lilibadilishwa tarehe 21 Oktoba 2020. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika taarifa ya ""Outdoor Play Canada"" iliyochapishwa katika kumbukumbu ya miaka 30 ya Mkataba wa Umoja wa Mataifa juu ya Haki za Mtoto, ""Tunaunga mkono kwa moyo wote." Tafadhali soma na kuishiriki na marafiki wako au wafanyakazi wenzako ikiwa unakubali! Utafiti mpya kutoka kwa Uchunguzi wa Vipimo vya Afya ya Canada wa Takwimu za Canada ulithibitisha kupungua kwa nguvu katika afya ya watoto wa Canada iliyoonekana katika miaka ya 35 iliyopita na theluthi moja tu ya watoto wa umri wa shule wa Canada wanakutana na miongozo ya shughuli za mwili. Utafiti mwingine unaonyesha kwamba kila saa ya ziada ya kutumia nje kwa siku inahusishwa na dakika 7 zaidi ya shughuli za mwili za wastani hadi nguvu, hatua 762 zaidi, na dakika 13 chini ya muda wa kukaa. Watoto wa Canada wanahitaji kupata nje kucheza zaidi, kuwasaidia kusonga zaidi <unk> na ni haki yao. Novemba 20 ni siku ya miaka 30 tangu kuanzishwa kwa Mkataba wa Umoja wa Mataifa kuhusu Haki za Mtoto. "Katika Mkataba wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa kujihusisha na michezo, nchi wanachama zinatambua haki ya mtoto ya kupumzika na kujifurahisha, kushiriki katika michezo na shughuli za burudani zinazolingana na umri wa mtoto, na zinapaswa kuhamasisha utoaji wa fursa zinazofaa na sawa kwa shughuli za kitamaduni, sanaa, burudani na burudani. "" (Art. 31 (1) na 24 (2) (f) ya Mkataba wa Umoja wa Mataifa)." Canada inashindwa kutimiza ahadi hizi. "Katika ripoti ya ""Mtazamo wa Utendaji wa Watoto na Vijana"" ya 2018, Canada ilipewa alama ya ""D"" kwa ""Mchezo wa Kujifurahisha na Shughuli za Burudani,"" wakati ripoti ya msingi ya UNICEF Canada ya 2019 kwa Kiashiria cha Canada cha Ustawi wa Watoto na Vijana inaonyesha kuwa 21% tu ya watoto wenye umri wa miaka 5 hadi 11 wanafanya angalau saa 1.5 kwa siku ya kucheza na shughuli zisizo na utaratibu." Utafiti wa hivi karibuni wa Takwimu za Kanada unathibitisha tena matokeo haya. Kucheza nje ni bora kuliko ndani, lakini upatikanaji wa vyombo vya habari vya dijiti pamoja na hofu kuhusu hatari ya mgeni, na kuumiza kucheza, miongoni mwa wengine, wamehamisha watoto ndani ya nyumba. Taarifa ya msimamo wa hivi karibuni juu ya kucheza nje ya nyumba [PDF], ambayo imeidhinishwa na Baraza la Canada la Maofisa Mkuu wa Matibabu ya Afya, ilifikia hitimisho kwamba <unk> Upatikanaji wa kucheza nje ya nyumba na nje ya nyumba <unk> na hatari zake <unk> ni muhimu kwa maendeleo ya afya ya mtoto. """Tunapendekeza kuongeza fursa za watoto kwa ajili ya kucheza binafsi nje katika mazingira yote - nyumbani, shule, katika utunzaji wa watoto, jamii na asili - katika enzi ya marufuku ya mpira wa shule na mjadala kuhusu kuteleza salama, je, sisi kama jamii tumepoteza usawa sahihi kati ya kuwaweka watoto afya na hai na kuwalinda kutoka madhara makubwa?" Je, tumepunguza haki ya mtoto kucheza na upatikanaji wao wa faida za afya za jumla za kucheza nje? Watu wazima <unk> hofu kuhusu yote ambayo inaweza kwenda vibaya wakati watoto kucheza ni kizuizi cha kuruhusu watoto kucheza nje. Katika shule na taasisi nyingine, hofu hizi zinaweza kusababisha sera zisizohitajika na za kuzuia ambazo hupunguza kiasi na aina ya kucheza kwa watoto. Hata hivyo, takwimu za majeraha zinaonyesha kwamba watoto leo wako salama zaidi kuliko wakati mwingine wowote nchini Kanada. "Mashambulizi ya magari ni sababu kuu ya vifo vya watoto, lakini hatuwezi kuwaweka watoto wetu ndani ya magari ili ""waweke salama"" hatari ya kutekwa nyara na mgeni ni ndogo sana." "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""mashabiki"" ni ""mashabiki"" wa Lotto 64." Uwezekano wa mtoto kuanguka kutoka kwenye mti au vifaa vya kucheza ni chini zaidi, na hakuna vifo vya watoto vilivyoandikwa katika miaka 17 ya takwimu zilizopo. Ugonjwa wa kuumia ni nadra sana, na uwezekano wa kuumia ni 0.004%. Pia kuna faida za pekee za kuwa nje, hasa katika mazingira ya asili. Watoto wanapocheza nje kama wanavyotaka, wao huhama zaidi, huketi kidogo na kucheza kwa muda mrefu. Wanafanya kazi kwa bidii na kuambukizwa na vimelea vinavyosaidia kujenga kinga. Wao hufanya malengo yao wenyewe na kujua hatua za kufikia malengo hayo. Wanajifunza, kujenga nguvu, kukuza ujuzi wa kijamii, na kujifunza jinsi ya kusimamia hatari na kuweka salama. Macho yao hupata mazoezi yanayohitajiwa ili kupambana na upofu wa kuona. Utafiti ni wazi: kucheza nje kwa watoto huunga mkono matokeo mengi ya afya na maendeleo. Licha ya faida hizi na ukosefu wa matukio mabaya tunapunguza haki ya watoto wetu ya kucheza nje. Katika maadhimisho ya miaka ya Mkataba wa Haki za Mtoto, tunakumbushwa juu ya wajibu wetu wa kutoa, kuhamasisha na kuwezesha michezo ya nje ya watoto wetu kwa maendeleo ya afya. Ikiwa una shaka, waache watoke <unk> ni haki yao.