Children spend only half as much time playing outside as their parents did

Children spend only half as much time playing outside as their parents did

National Trust survey also found that nine out of 10 parents would prefer offspring to spend childhood connecting with nature. Children today spend half the time their parents did playing outside, a survey suggests. While more than four-fifths (83%) of parents questioned thought it was important their children learned to use technology, nine out of 10 would prefer them to spend their childhood outdoors, developing a connection with nature.

How Land Conservation Is Transforming Lives In Pittsburgh

Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature

They may prefer to stick to their screens, but here’s why getting outdoors matters. n the early 1980s, a Harvard University biologist named Edward O. Wilson proposed a theory called biophilia: that humans are instinctively drawn towards their natural surroundings. Many 21st century parents, however, would question this theory, as they watch their kids express a clear preference for sitting on a couch in front of a screen over playing outside.

Children who play outside more likely to protect nature as adults

Children who play outside more likely to protect nature as adults

Protecting the environment can be as easy as telling your kids to go outdoors and play, according to a new UBC study.Research by Catherine Broom, assist. prof. in the Faculty of Education at UBC Okanagan, shows that 87 percent of study respondents who played outside as children expressed a continued love of nature as young adults. Of that group, 84 per cent said taking care of the environment was a priority.