Go outside and play
Three Rs vitally important, but so also is children’s level of physical fitness
As a kid, I was constantly encouraged by my parents to get outside and play.
For reasons I never fully understood, being inside was clearly not a good thing, regardless of the season.
However, that time spent outdoors is an enduring memory of growing up in P.E.I. during the 1960s and ‘70s. From biking, tag and hide and seek to softball in a farm field and skating on a nearby pond, it seemed outdoor play was the norm for kids in my neighbourhood.
As it turns out, wanting some peace and quiet likely wasn’t the only motivation for parents. They knew that fresh air, physical activity and face-to-face interaction with other children was actually good for the kids, as numerous studies have shown over the years.
In a study released last fall, the Canadian Health Measures Survey reported half of the children in Canada are spending more than two hours a day in front of a screen – many considerably more – and only about a third are meeting the national physical activity recommendation of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
Admittedly, it’s a much different world than it was when I was growing up. The internet and all the digital devices at our fingertips today hadn’t even been imagined then. A regular skit on Get Smart, a ‘60s spy spoof, featured its top agent covertly talking into his shoe. Today, we’d recognize it as an early cellphone but back then, the idea of a mobile telephone was just comical.
Some efforts are being made to encourage children to play outdoors. Many municipalities are upgrading community parks, several that include splash pads – water playgrounds where children get sprayed, splashed and thoroughly entertained while getting a good workout as they dart about the pad. They’re costly but if they ease kids away from the screens, it’s money well invested.
As part of Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Charities project, Charlottetown will soon be getting a fully accessible playground in Victoria Park. In Summerside, to honour Olympian and wheelchair athlete Billy Bridges, the town is also getting a new, fully accessible park and playground. Tyler DesRoche, a Summerside councillor, said it’s important to have playground equipment accessible to all children. “What it means for our residents is that no child will ever be left behind. There’ll always be a place for them to play.”
And at least one Island MLA wants youth to be more active during school time as well. In the legislature last week, Matthew MacKay noted children in the province’s elementary schools are required to get 75 minutes of physical education each week, well below the recommended 60 minutes of activity per day. A new health curriculum is being rolled out this fall and it will be interesting to see if MacKay’s concern is addressed.
The latest standardized test results suggest Island students are now among the best in Canada when it comes to reading, math and science. That’s great news. But their level of physical activity still has plenty of room for improvement.
With a renewed push from government, municipalities, schools and parents, our youth can become less sedentary and more active, and that would be good news for everyone.