Kids in daycare don’t get enough play, study says

The Orange County Register

If your child is in daycare, it is pretty likely he or she is not getting much active play time – and it’s pretty likely it’s the parents’ fault, at least to a degree.

According to a study in the journal Pediatrics as reported by Reuters, a parental push to focus on academics even at the preschool level is leaving kids with little time to play.

There also is the matter of safety. Some parents, the article says, ask that their kids be excused from vigorous activity to avoid the risk of playground injury.

So how does that work? While little Johnny is running and climbing and sliding, is little Jimmy forced to just sit and watch?

The Washington Post figured this means kids, on average, are spending just 2 to 3 percent of their time at daycare playing vigorously.

Finances also play a part here, with some daycare providers unable to afford equipment that is up to safety codes. But aren’t toddlers supremely happy to just “go outside, go run!”

“Young children learn by moving,” said Russell Pate, a professor at the University of South Carolina who was not involved in this study. “I am concerned that preschools and child care centers are placing a very heavy focus on the development of pre-academic skills.”

This research “adds in a significant way to a growing body of information that indicates that the characteristics of preschools influence the physical activity levels of young children,” Pate told Reuters Health.

The study was based on 49 child-care centers in Ohio, where at least part of the year weather is probably also a deterrent to getting outside.