Children too scared to play outside

Almost half of all children avoid
playing outside because they don’t feel safe, new research
has revealed.

A fifth of the children surveyed in a joint initiative by The
Children’s Society and the Children’s Play Council said
they played outside for less than an hour a week.

The charities, which claim children are being deprived of public
play areas, questioned 670 children aged between seven and 14. They
found that 47% would play outside more if it was safer, while 48%
would do so if better facilities were provided. Girls were more
likely than boys to make safety their top priority.

Development manager at education charity ContinYou Jenna Hall said
it was imperative to protect every child’s right to play, and
that schools had a role to play in this – particularly as
they moved towards longer opening hours to meet government promises
on wraparound care.

She said the findings highlighted the importance of ensuring that
all forms of play were central to the development and delivery of
the extended schools agenda.