Outdoor playtime is an essential component of a growing child’s daily itinerary. Today, the concept of outdoor games in the neighbourhood seems to belong to a bygone era with abandoned play habits. Families lead nuclear and isolated lives. T
his reflects on a child’s interaction with his/her friends in the neighbourhood and consequently being a part of the play circle. With child safety and security being an issue these days, one can assume that gully cricket will be a thing of the past soon.
This isolated lifestyle has bred a generation of children who are restricted to their households after school and consequently hooked on to their electronic gadgets, which keeps the child “occupied” and the parents at peace. The pandemic has made matters worse. Young children are being associated with terms like “video game addiction”, “internet addiction” and “phone addiction”.
In this context, parents usually enrol their wards in sports coaching centres. But these instances are exceptions and limited to economically stronger urban areas. Children may pursue the sport out of passion or as a matter of routine along with their academics.
For most children, any kind of sporting activity is relegated to the school playgrounds. It is for the parents and teachers to ensure that the child gets abundant sporting time along with academics. Involvement in any sport, be it solo or team, improves a child’s ability to focus, be self-aware, empathize with peers, etc.
Some children prefer to participate in team sports like football or basketball in which they play a role on a team. Or they may simply enjoy individual sports like tennis or cycling. Encouraging children to revive their play habits is a matter of concern.
Ways we can revive children’s abandoned play habits.
1. Encourage fun: Help your child to identify the game that he/she enjoys playing. The more the child enjoys playing, the more the child is likely to continue playing. It is always better to involve the whole family as it would be fun spending time together.
2. Select a sport that is appropriate: Depending on the age of the child select an activity that suits the child. For example, for the age group of 7 to 8 years, riding a bicycle, swimming, and badminton are appropriate games.
3. Always be a role model: When parents enjoy sports and physical activity, they become the role model for all the abandoned play habits. This will likely help the child to do physical activities by themselves.
4. Limit screen time: Children are now more prone to screen time. Since the normal routine has started for children, it’s time to limit screen time, including watching TV, videos, computers, and video games. Use the free time in all abandoned play habits, along with the neighbours and peers.
5. Allocate specific time: Most of the children are overscheduled with homework, tuition, and other classes that they do not have for exercise. See to it that a time is fixed for their routine play habits.
Every school has sports included in the curriculum because they understand the importance of physical health and activity. However, the importance given to sports ends there, as this inclusion is only for formality. Under the Khelo India Scheme, the government is promoting the development of abandoned play habits at the grassroots level through initiatives such as the Khelo India School games.
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