Play is just a playground away

Times Contributor    

 

Canada got low scores at the Global Summit on the Physical Activity of Children, which showed Canadian kids were not getting enough outdoor activity and only 37 per cent of parents played in active games with their kids. There were lots of scheduled activities and facilities available, but unscheduled time lacked an active outdoor play component.

With the weather improving, parents can improve those statistics and increase their children’s health and wellbeing by taking them out to enjoy the local parks. 

The Town of Strathmore has 28 parks within its town limits, offering open spaces, places to walk the dog, a skate park, wetlands, playgrounds, picnic and wedding areas, ball diamonds and soccer pitches and even a spray park for the toddlers. The map of parks and the walking/bike paths can be found www.strathmore.ca. 

The playgrounds are often the children’s first choice for play. 

“For me, it is a way for them to run around and interact with other families instead of being indoors,” said Kelly Mullen, a father who was playing with his child at Kinsmen Park. “The kids can burn off a little energy and socialize a little bit. We try to hit a different park each time.”

“We have our favorites,” said Tom Robinson. “We come here (Kinsmen Park) a lot.” 

Robinson has one son and is imminently expecting his second child. He said he would like to see some improvements to some of the parks, like more trees around Gray Park, separating the traffic flow from the park. 

He said increased security in Kinsmen Park would also be good. 

In an age where parents must be vigilant of strangers around their kids, Robinson said he found it kind of creepy when people sit in their cars alone in the parking lot. He wonders if local police shouldn’t also be paying more attention to teen activity in the lot. 

Robinson is not alone in concerns about children’s safety outdoors.

The National Children’s Bureau did a study of 1,000 parents, half of which feared letting their children outdoors to play because of “stranger dangers,” traffic concerns or play yard safety hazards. However, child development experts are advocating to parents that some of their fears may be unfounded. With proper guidance, children can learn to be aware of their surroundings while they play and put in motion the safety factors to ensure they will be safe. 

They suggest that parent’s participation in outdoor play with their children allows the child to and learn how to deal with challenges they face through mentoring. Those experiences build children’s confidence when faced with similar choices they must make on their own. One group of parents in Calgary have formed a parent pool, where they take turns walking several children on their block to school during the week. 

Check out www.greenheartsinc.org, and click on A Parent’s Guide to Nature Play for some other good tips for managing children’s play outdoors.