What’s wrong with “Go out and play”?
A recent British survey out showed half of the adults polled had played outside at least 7 times a week in their childhood, while only 23 percent of their children do so now. It didn’t matter if it was hopscotch or Hide& Seek, boys and girls ran and laughed with their sweatshirts until the sun went down. “Go out and play” was always an expression full of fun. However, there is a sad switch. The Alliance for Childhood, a nonprofit advocacy group, complained recently, “Children ages 10 to 16 now spend, on average, only 12.6 minutes per day in vigorous physical activity. Yet they spend an average of 10.4 waking hours each day relatively motionless.”
Then what’s wrong with “Go out and play”? Busy lifestyle and high tech development lead parents to be satisfied with entertaining their children with electronic media while kids cannot resist the temptation. They spend as many as 40 to 60 hours a week sitting still with electronic tablets, computers, mobile phones and TV shows. It seems that they are as attached to electronic media as they were to umbilical cord in their mother’s womb.
Grow up outdoors: Merits overweigh demerits. As kids are more likely associated with “obesity”, “diabetes” and the expressions referring to sub healthy instead of “naughty”, “play” and the words referring to outdoor games, parents gradually get rid of the idea that electronic media can help develop researching skills and tap potential.
The benefits of outdoor sports have already become the common refrain for generations: fresh air, lower incidence of obesity, and team work. However, new studies have shown some light on less familiar benefits. A study of National Wildlife Federation said that getting dirty outside is much healthier than playing with the clean gadgets, which can make kids more vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency, depression and chronic weight-related diseases. On the flip side, a new study by the American Academy of Ophthalmology reveals that spending more time outdoors decreases chances of kids developing nearsightedness and slows the progress of myopia in those who already suffer from it.
Authoritative groups around the world, from American Heart Association to Children’s Foundation of China, advocate parents to encourage their kids to go out and play freely, without adult-imposed structure. More and more informed parents realize kids must grow up outdoors with grass, sunshine and friends.
JollyOutdoor: Inspirit with Jolly As Grow-up-outdoors has become sought-after among parents, JollyOutdoor offers a slew of sports clothing and outdoor equipment for children in order to inspire more kids to go out and enjoy their childhood with nature. Embracing outdoor-sports-lifestyle, JollyOutdoor has exerted its utmost efforts to encourage more people to go out and enjoy life. Being positioned to be a leading friendly online mall of outdoor gears, JollyOutdoor will never stop on its way to progress.
