I just recently read an article entitled, “Playtime for preschoolers essential”.  Basically, preschoolers in child care centers are not spending enough time playing outdoors and just being kids.  Let’s just take that a step further, most kids, ages 5 to 15 are not spending enough time just playing.  There are many studies out there that conclude that daily physical activity is vital for physical and cognitive development.  How many adults out there, after a good bout of vigorous activity, feel sharper, more focused and ready to tackle the day ahead.   According to the CDC, 17% of children between the ages of 2 to 19 are obese, so play and physical activity at a young age is important.  Dr. Kristen from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio and her team of researchers set out to find out why children were not more active.  They talked to the staff at 34 different child care facilities in Cincinnati.  What did they discover?  They discovered that centers often emphasized classroom learning at the expense of outdoor playtime.  I was not surprised to hear that this was not limited to Cincinnati, but in many parts of the country as well.

This is also happening in many of our middle schoold as well.  P.E. is low on the totem pole.  When budget cuts need to be made, it is usually at the expense of P.E. and the arts.  I recently had a consultation with a 11 year old boy and asked him how often do they have P.E., he said,  “2 times a week, Monday and Tuesday”.   What happens Wed to Friday?   The other surprising finding was the teachers said the parents, both upper and lower income seemed to be more concered about what their children were learning than about whether they went outside and learned/mastered fundamental gross motor skills.  Again, I’m not surprised in this day in age where schools and getting into colleges are becoming more and more competitive and little Johnny or Suzy should be reading Moby Dick By 1st grade, performing advanced calculus and speaking 3 languages.  Here’s the thing, when kids are running, skipping, jumping, climbing, playing games, they are not only exercising their bodies, they are exercising their minds.  They are learning how to work with others, sharing, making up rules, not to mention the huge social aspect of play.  Being able to explore the outdoors and being a kid is vital to their development. Academics are important, but play and physical literacy should be elevated to the same level for all ages.   That’s why the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) is so important for our youth.

What are your thoughts as a parent, coach, or youth?  This is an important topic to discuss that will shape our youth for years to come, not only nationally but at the local levels.