Young ‘ are losing simple pleasures’

SPLASHING in puddles, making daisy chains and playing with friends in the park were once everyday activities for most children.

But a generation of youngsters is growing up without having the pleasures of outdoor games because parents are increasingly over- protective, a study has found.

Playing computer games or watching television have replaced climbing trees and building dens because parents tend to keep them inside.

A typical child spends less than fi ve hours a week playing outside – almost half the 11 hours their parents spent playing. David Hardy, of the Eco Attractions Group, which commissioned the survey, said: “For many people, these activities made up a huge chunk of our childhood, and left us with the memories and experience of our natural world to go with it.

“Nowadays, children have much more to keep them amused – computers, a host of TV channels and smartphones – something older generations didn’t have. Youngsters are missing out on getting dirty in the mud and puddles or simply spending time in the fresh air.”

The poll of 2,000 parents revealed two- thirds of children have never made a daisy chain, fewer than half have built sandcastles and a third have not had the joy of splashing in puddles.

While most parents worry whether their children get enough traditional activities, eight in 10 admitted they needed to make more effort or time to play with their brood outdoors.