It's Important for Children to Play Issue 22 Home Page   Home Page

Let's Play Outdoors! Alice Ortiz from Venezuela Photo from Alice Ortiz Photo from Alice Ortiz   I remember how I used to play outside with my friends during my childhood. We always had a great time. We played a lot of games where we had to use our imagination. Playing those games, we learned how to compete, organize groups, and be creative. We made up a bunch of games that didn't have to be played with specific toys. Now, the situation is different. Children are more restricted when they play outdoors than they were in those days. There are many reasons why that is so: the insecurity, pollution and unsafe places. The consequences of this are very harmful for children's development. They're not exercising, developing socially, or being raised in a natural environment. They don't have enough safe places where they can play with other friends, or travel around by bike, or go for an ice cream. Children are still playing, but instead of playing outdoors, they are playing indoors with high-tech toys. This means they are staying inside the house all the time, and usually in front of a TV which means they are becoming more lonely, are making fewer friends, and are definitely not enjoying their lives as much as we did in the past.  More on the importance of children playing: The Toys I Played With | My Favorite Toy Was a Doll | How Do—and Did—Children Play? Traditional vs. High Tech Toys| I Was a So-Called Tomboy Return to: It's Important for Children to Play | Issue 22 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007 - topics.mag@gmail.com - Sandy and Thomas Peters