Outdoor play’s good for children, rain or shine

WITH the first winter chill in the air, screen-addicted children may well use the weather as an excuse to stay inside.

But parents should take note after a study showed youngsters benefit from playing outdoors come rain or shine.

The pioneering trial at seven Glasgow schools found that encouraging primary age pupils to play sport and invent their own outdoor games increased their activity by more than half an hour a day.

Many pupils only engage in physical activity at break, lunchtime and in PE lessons – and only if the weather is dry.

But in the Go2Play Active Play programme 172 children were given twice-weekly activity sessions instead of PE.

These included a 30-minute session of structured activities such as catching, throwing, hopping and jumping followed by another 30 minutes of free play with basic equipment, such as balls, tennis racquets, hockey sticks and skipping.

The outdoor sessions took place whatever the weather.

The study found that after the trial the percentage of a time ‘spent in sedentary behaviour’ fell 18.6 per cent, light activity increased 15.7 per cent, and moderate to vigorous activity grew 2.8 per cent.

Experts recommend children have at least 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity a day, though few achieve this.

It is thought introducing the programme nationally could help cut the number of youngsters whose health is at risk from weight problems. The study’s lead author, Avril Johnstone, of Strathclyde University, said: ‘Encouraging active play is a novel approach to increasing children’s physical activity levels but has been suggested to have populationwide gains if promoted.’

Following the findings, the scheme is now being expanded to 118 Glasgow schools.

A spokesman for Inspiring Scotland, which launched the initiative, said: ‘High levels of inactivity among Scotland’s children are having a serious effect on their health and wellbeing and can negatively impact the rest of their lives.’

He added: ‘We are working to make active play a fundamental part of the school day in Scotland.’