In favour of more traditional games
Times have changed, but not always for the better, according to play experts who claim many of the childhood games enjoyed by older generations may be disappearing for good. Research has shown that fun pastimes such as flying a kite and building a den could soon be consigned to history.
Modern kids are even clueless about the classic game of tag - a third have never heard of it.
Other games that have fallen by the wayside include Grandmother’s Footsteps (91 per cent), Leapfrog (81 per cent), British Bulldogs (79 per cent), conkers (66 per cent) and Piggy in the Middle (56 per cent).
Seven in 10 kids have not played rounders and 69 per cent have never been on a scavenger hunt.
In fact, the research of 1,000 parents of five to 12 year olds, revealed it to be three months since the average UK child got themselves muddy while playing outside.
Almost four in 10 parents say their kids find gaming more exciting than the outdoors, while 54 per cent struggle to balance their children’s love of online gaming with time outside.
A high 57 per cent of parents confess their kids have no real connection to nature or the great outdoors, while a fifth admit they worry that their child could struggle to understand how important it is to protect the environment.
To show kids that traditional games can be as interesting as the virtual counterparts, six influential gamers were led to believe that they were getting an exclusive look at a new game release, a sports simulation game called TAG.
As they streamed the trailer to millions of followers on social media, they realised the trailer was for the outdoor, traditional game of tag ‘only available in real life’.
Tati Lindenberg, marketing vice-president at Unilever, Dirt Is Good, said: “Getting dirty outdoors is so important for the development of children and their relationship with nature.
“We were shocked to find some beloved games, that were a staple of past generations, are practically on the verge of disappearing. We wanted to engage with the gaming community and rally support behind encouraging children to head back outside and play. Nobody should be able to resist a game of muddy tag.”
Traditional games modern children miss out on include: Grandmother’s footsteps 91 per cent, building a treehouse 87 per cent, leapfrog 81 per cent, making a rope swing 76 per cent, stuck in the mud 72 per cent, poohsticks 72 per cent, rounders 71 per cent, mud pies 70 per cent, rock pooling 70 per cent, scavenger hunt 69 per cent, conkers 66 per cent, camping 66 per cent, building a den in woods 65 per cent, pick up sticks 65 per cent, flying a kite 60 per cent, looking for worms 59 per cent, piggy in the middle 56 per cent, climbing trees 45 per cent, tag 36 per cent, bike rides 33 per cent.
The poll was commissioned by Persil as part of its Dirt Is Good campaign.