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You are here: News 2008 » May 2008 » 76% of Parents Fail to Get Kids Outdoors |
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76% of Parents Fail to Get Kids Outdoors
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More than three-quarters of parents in the UK admit that they are failing to
convince their offspring to play outdoors - with housebound children being
tempted indoors by entertainment such as computer games and DVDS.
A survey conducted by toy manufacturer ‘Born to Play’ revealed that 76 per cent
of parents want to encourage their children to get ‘back to basics’ and
participate in more back garden based play after admitting that they often spend
as little as one hour each week playing outdoors.
The top reason cited for the shift indoors was the increase in entertainment
technology, with more sophisticated computer games and multi-channel TV making
it hard to get kids out of the bedroom and into the fresh air.
Other reasons included worries about children’s safety, unpredictable weather,
and lack of leisure time for parents to spend introducing typical outdoor
pursuits to the next generation.
Peter Hatton, toy director at Martin Yaffe, said: “Parents are genuinely
concerned about their children spending too much time cooped up in the house and
with the weather becoming ever more unpredictable the problem appears to be
getting worse.
“Many traditional outdoor toys are set to make a comeback this year, which will
hopefully encourage parents to look back to their youth and get out into the
garden with the kids. Things such as space hoppers, hobby horses, slides and
outdoor games sets are all tipped to be hot favourites this summer”
“As the designer and manufacturer of some of the most popular outdoor children’s
toys we wanted to remind parents how much fun it can be to get out into the
garden with their children to relive their youth – and bringing back some of the
old favourites seemed like the perfect solution.”
Children are also being encouraged back into the great outdoors through
interaction with their favourite characters. 81 per cent of parents surveyed
confirmed that their children would be more likely to play with outdoor toys
directly related to TV or cartoon characters through positive association with
their heroes and heroines. The top five included:
· Thomas the Tank Engine
· Bob the Builder
· Little Princess
· In the Night Garden characters
· Rupert Bear
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