I am not that old, yet I know that my experiences growing up in many ways are worlds apart from the current experiences of our youth. When I was growing up we used to regularly ride our bike, play sporting games outside and sign up for after-school swimming or gymnastics classes.
I’m afraid those days are long gone:
One in six children cannot swim, a survey has revealed.
It also found one in ten had not learnt to ride a bicycle and almost a quarter had never run 400 metres.
The study found British children were more than twice as likely to spend their free time watching television (79 per cent) than playing sport (34 per cent).
Children were also more likely to surf the internet (56 per cent), chat on social-networking websites (45 per cent) and play video games (43 per cent) than take part in sports.
The study of 1,500 children aged six to 15 reveals a generation turning its back on sport.
‘This is another sad reflection on children today,’ said Tam Fry of the Child Growth Foundation.
‘We have a generation of children being fed the wrong food, which makes them fat, and fewer and fewer get the exercise they need to burn it off. It becomes a vicious cycle.
‘We need to teach children from a young age that they have to exercise and take part in sport to stay a healthy weight.’
He added that there are often not enough places for children to play and ride their bikes because there are so many cars on the road.
The survey, which reveals a generation turning their backs on sport, was described as ‘staggering’ by the head of the British Triathlon.
Even for those who could swim and ride bikes, just a third (34 per cent) had swum the length of a pool and half (46 per cent) had ridden their bikes in the past week.
In contrast, nearly three quarters (73 per cent) had found the time to play a video game in the past week.
A further 15 per cent of the children polled said they had never played sport with their parents.
The study was commissioned as part of a series of mini-triathlon events being held this summer by Tata Steel in areas including steel regions such as Scunthorpe, Corby, Teesside, Rotherham, Swansea and Shotton in North Wales.
A third of those questioned (33 per cent) said they did not own a bike, compared with three quarters (77 per cent) who owned a games console.
Remember when the fad at school would fluctuate between down ball, 4 square, hop scotch, hula hooping and elastics? Most girls growing up now would never have associated elastic with a game. I find this so sad. The future ramifications of bringing up a generation of couch potatoes is quite frightening.
Tags: Education, Games, Health, life, Nutrition, Obesity, Parenting, Sport, Swimming, Tam Fry, Tata Steel, Video Games
Topical Teaching 
May 4, 2011 at 11:44 pm |
We grew up in a world that is different to the one our children are experiencing. We had stay at home moms who taught us how to ride the bike, and swim in the pool. She played games with us, and encouraged us to play in the mud outside. Nowadays, both parents are working long hours and come home rushing to get through the homework, cook dinner, and do household chores.
Maybe the time has come when teachers help to teach children to play. Children spend up to 7 hours a day at school, so why can’t we as teachers help to create that hula-hoop fad, or that jump rope fad? Our children’s education should be well-rounded: so let us help get the kids off the couch and playing in the yard.
May 5, 2011 at 1:15 am |
I spent my childhood in front of tv watching Sesame St and cartoons. There were no kids my age in my neighborhood. I did play with my classmates at school, but that was all. It’s sad.
Greetings from California.