I have recently started a summer-long project exploring how less screen time and more time spent in playgrounds impacts not only my two boys’ lives but our family as a whole. Already I can see a marked difference in their health and well-being. My children are happier, they sleep well, their behaviour is better and I can’t wait to see how they progress throughout the summer holiday period. I know that many parents are waiting for this debate to take place; so many of us know that our children are not outside enough and spend far too much time indoors and on screens. Parents need and deserve support to turn this around. I and many of my peers welcome this timely campaign. We have wonderful playgrounds and parks in the UK that we need to make use of and value. And, being 34 weeks pregnant, walking to these parks and playgrounds can prove quite difficult! So, we urge the government to stop closing the parks and playgrounds and get our kids exploring nature at its finest in the UK!
For full campaign details and further information click here
“Children are being ‘pulled’ indoors by screens and ‘pushed’ away from outdoor play because of the decline in public playgrounds. ” Mark Hardy Association of Play Industries.
We are breeding a future of obese/sedentary children whose imaginations are being sucked away by #screens. This must change!
How do we expect parents to find the time and equipment to travel to these beautiful parks and playgrounds if they are not on our doorsteps! Stop closing parks and playgrounds – build some more!
For full campaign details and further information click here
We need to urge the local authorities to stop closing down parks and playgrounds and to increase their spend, so kids can have their unstructured outdoor play, which proves to be more beneficial physically and mentally than structured play. We need investment in public playgrounds before they disappear for good and we need an appointment of a dedicated Cabinet Minister for Children & Young People to lobby for investment in playgrounds. So, please get on the back of this campaign. Get onto social media using the hashtag #PlayMustStay and document your own journey with your kids. Do you have physically and mentally happy children who visit their local park/playground every day? Or are you in an area where parks and playgrounds are not on your doorstep or your local park or playground has been closed down? Let’s get this campaign trending on social media, so the government listen up and do something about the future of our children’s health! #PLAYMUSTSTAY
