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December 2019 07 Product News 03
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Putting play and playgrounds on the political agenda
Report pushes for urgent investment in public playgrounds The APPG on a Fit & Healthy Childhood has released its 14th report: Mental Health Through Movement and says that ‘movement is the mainspring for children’s mental health’. The Association of Play Industries (API) has been delighted to contribute significantly to the report, outlining how children are pulled indoors by the power of digital culture and pushed away from outdoor play due to severe cuts to playground provision. API Chair Mark Hardy says: “Over 1100 parents responded to our Play MustStay survey through Mumsnet telling us loudly and clearly that this is an issue they are extremely worried about. “All scientific evidence points to the fact that movement is vital for children’s mental health and for normal, healthy development. We have now a generation of children who are being deprived of free, unstructured, outdoor play and as such, a troubled generation.
“Parents know this instinctively. Over a quarter of those parents surveyed who have children with mental health difficulties said that the lack of local playgrounds had played a role in their children’s problems. This result was replicated also for those children experiencing issues with their sleep.
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“Frustratingly, one of the core solutions to the mental health crisis is a simple and relatively cheap one: as most children live in urban areas, playgrounds often represent their only opportunity for outdoor play. “Unless the alarming cuts to playground provision uncovered in our Nowhere To Play research are reversed, and more playgrounds created to secure future outdoor play, the mental health crisis will spiral yet deeper. “There is now an urgent need to restore outdoor play as the primary leisure activity for children, replacing indoor, solitary and sedentary screenbased time.
Latest development at an award-winning children’s hospital
Page 8 “Children sit for hours on end, not moving or socialising and this is having a devastating impact on their mental and physical health.
we have to ‘catch’ children and imbue in them a sense that outdoor play is the norm, so ensuring that movement becomes a lifetime habit.
healthy children, in body and mind. Playgrounds need to be abundant, accessible, safe and convenient to truly meet the needs of communities.
“Our research shows that, as early as age 8, children are starting to shun outdoor play in favour of screen time, and by the ages of 10 to 12, 69% of them prefer screens, with parents finding it difficult to persuade them to go outside. There is a critical period when
“Free, community playgrounds are absolutely key in this. We must not take them for granted; once a playground is lost it is usually lost for good. As the report points out, this is not about a nanny state interfering, it is about empowering and supporting parents in their endeavours to raise fit and
“We are calling upon the government for urgent and sustained funding for public playground provision; a relatively modest investment now will pay great dividends for this and generations to come.”
Playscheme calls for public playground investment The playground creators at Playscheme are getting behind the Association of Play Industries (API) “Play Must Stay” campaign, which highlights alarming trends in playground closures and increases in children’s screentime.
play provision. Steve Danby, Playscheme Managing Director, said, “The API’s research shows that increasing local play provision encourages children to play outside more and to move away from their screens.”
The API’s research shows that more than one public playground is closed every week, with a 44% decrease in spend on play facilities forecast by 2020/21 when compared to 2017/18.
He adds: “As well as sustained local and government investment, we believe there’s a need for us all to play our part in encouraging children to be active. We can set good examples ourselves, and we can also call on those who
Simultaneously, parents are highlighting that having access to playgrounds would make their child more active and that nearly 50% of parents are struggling to persuade their child to leave their screen behind. As API members, Playscheme is echoing the Association’s call for urgent and sustained investment in public
have influence – such as social media companies – to do their part. Today, for example, if you want to post a status update to Facebook to say you’re “playing”, the lead icon that pops up is a games console. If you search for social media gifs on the theme of “play”, you’ll find plenty of cat videos, but scant evidence of children playing. In our view, this does little to encourage children to be active.” Playscheme
API
Thousands of children go out to play for Playday 2019 Thousands of children and young people from across the UK went out playing, celebrating Playday – the national day for play – in August. Hundreds of local and regional play events are taking place to promote the importance of children’s right to play. Having plenty of opportunities to explore and play outdoors is essential for children’s physical and mental health, as well as their happiness, learning and development. The Playday 2019 theme – Play Builds Children – highlights the many ways play is good for children: • Play Builds Friendships – playing allows children to interact with others, develop relationships, deal with
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conflict, and learn respect and tolerance. Play Builds Resilience – playing boosts children’s confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills and perseverance, enabling them to cope with stress and challenges throughout life. Play Builds Health and Wellbeing – being active through play helps children physically and emotionally, contributing to their health and happiness. Play Builds Communities – playing allows children to learn about the world around them, make connections, and develop a sense of identity and belonging.
Playday
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