A survey of nearly 3,000 parents and children carried out by Eureka Children's Museum in West Yorkshire in back in 2014 revealed how the pattern of play has changed over time. Concerns about traffic and stranger danger have resulted in parents not wanting their children to stray far from home, yet the survey highlights that 81 per cent of children prefer to play outside instead of watching TV (more results here). Favourite places for children to play today include the park, the garden and home, whereas for parents, their favourite places were fields, woods and the street. This change is a result of a number of factors. According to the RAC Foundation (report here), car ownership in Britain has risen from 21 million in 1995 to 31 million in 2015. This has made streetscapes increasingly hazardous environments for children to play in, but also more dangerous routes to walk or cycle along. Perception of risk has also changed with time. This may be as a result of the increased use of social media.
Through time, the distance which children travel and the length of time children play outdoors without supervision has declined significantly. Perceived low-risk places for British children to play include places of supervision such as homes and gardens, and open spaces, where car use is restricted such as parks and town centres. Outdoor play in natural environments can be a positive experience. According to Gundersen et al. (2016, p.117) environmental and societal benefits include 'motor skills, attention, self-regulation, creativity, mental health, physical health, air quality and parental influence'. Although the decision by children to play outside is affected by a range of issues such as weather and the availability of friends and in direct competition with alternative activities (scheduled activities, parental influence and screen time).
The place of outdoor learning in the school curriculum is becoming more important as children are spending less time outdoors (Gill, 2007) and are less likely to explore the furthest reaches of their local environment unsupervised. Witt (2013, p. 57) suggests that ‘within a broad and rich geography curriculum where place is valued, children have the opportunity to engage deeply with local places’. Such opportunities are vital accoding to Dolan (2016) if children are to develop a rich sense of place and connect with their local environments.
Reference
Dolan, AM (2016) 'Place-based curriculum making: devising a synthesis between primary geography and outdoor learning', Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 16(1), 1-14.
Gill, T. (2007) No fear: Growing up in a risk averse society. London: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Gundersen, V., Skår, M., O'Brien, L., Wold, L.C., Follo, G. (2016) 'Children and nearby nature: A nationwide parental survey from Norway', Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 17, 116-125.
Witt, S. (2013) 'Playful approaches to learning out of doors', In S. Scoffham (Ed.) Teaching geography creatively (pp. 47–58). Abingdon: Routledge.
Through time, the distance which children travel and the length of time children play outdoors without supervision has declined significantly. Perceived low-risk places for British children to play include places of supervision such as homes and gardens, and open spaces, where car use is restricted such as parks and town centres. Outdoor play in natural environments can be a positive experience. According to Gundersen et al. (2016, p.117) environmental and societal benefits include 'motor skills, attention, self-regulation, creativity, mental health, physical health, air quality and parental influence'. Although the decision by children to play outside is affected by a range of issues such as weather and the availability of friends and in direct competition with alternative activities (scheduled activities, parental influence and screen time).
The place of outdoor learning in the school curriculum is becoming more important as children are spending less time outdoors (Gill, 2007) and are less likely to explore the furthest reaches of their local environment unsupervised. Witt (2013, p. 57) suggests that ‘within a broad and rich geography curriculum where place is valued, children have the opportunity to engage deeply with local places’. Such opportunities are vital accoding to Dolan (2016) if children are to develop a rich sense of place and connect with their local environments.
Reference
Dolan, AM (2016) 'Place-based curriculum making: devising a synthesis between primary geography and outdoor learning', Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 16(1), 1-14.
Gill, T. (2007) No fear: Growing up in a risk averse society. London: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Gundersen, V., Skår, M., O'Brien, L., Wold, L.C., Follo, G. (2016) 'Children and nearby nature: A nationwide parental survey from Norway', Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 17, 116-125.
Witt, S. (2013) 'Playful approaches to learning out of doors', In S. Scoffham (Ed.) Teaching geography creatively (pp. 47–58). Abingdon: Routledge.