{"id":1593,"date":"2014-05-07T04:38:29","date_gmt":"2014-05-07T11:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/?p=1593"},"modified":"2014-05-07T04:38:29","modified_gmt":"2014-05-07T11:38:29","slug":"playground-time-the-benefits-of-unplugged-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/2014\/05\/07\/playground-time-the-benefits-of-unplugged-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Playground Time: The Benefits of Unplugged Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"playgroundtime\"<\/a>If you feel like you\u2019re competing with your child\u2019s iPod, xBox or Wii, you\u2019re not alone. The Stanford University School of Medicine reports that children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation. The reason? Children are spending a large quantity of their time plugged in.<\/p>\n

Although there are many benefits to educational games and social technology, children still need to see the light of day and participate in unplugged activities. As a nanny or parent, it is important to know the benefits of unplugging your child and limiting technology.<\/p>\n

The Downfall of Outdoor Play<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that children enjoy the benefits of hanging from jungle gyms and twirling on merry-go-rounds, but the sad reality is that their access to public parks and playgrounds is much more limited these days. The Center for Disease Control<\/a> reports that only one out of five children in the United States live within a half-mile of a park or a playground and the availability of places to play looms far worse in low-income neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Numerous scientific studies prove the obvious: children are more likely to play outside and be more physically active when they live near a place to play. Safety is also a concern. More and more parents are keeping their children indoors or opting for indoor lessons and athletic events to reduce the risk of stranger danger.<\/p>\n

Without outdoor play, your child could be at risk, though. Outdoor play allows a child to gain physical exercise, increase creativity and imagination and have an opportunity to work on social skills. They learn to share, negotiate and resolve conflicts while taking turns on slides and swings.<\/p>\n

The Journal of Community Health further advocates that children with a park or playground in close proximity to their homes are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and that they have a healthier and happier outlook when engaging in free and unstructured outdoor play. Outdoor play can also have a positive impact on classroom behavior problems and reduce emotional outbursts, violence and a lack of ability to interact.<\/p>\n

Pulling the Plug<\/b><\/p>\n

Dr. Eitan Schwarz<\/a>, a Chicago-based child psychiatrist and author of Kids, Family and Technology: A Guide for Young Families<\/i>, recommends parents and nannies prepare a digital media plan to encourage outdoor play and reduce time with technology. The plan should determine how often your child uses computers, watches television and plays video games at each stage of his childhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents may not realize it, but they\u2019re hardwiring circuits into their kids\u2019 brains every day,\u201d says Schwarz. \u201cAnd when you give your child unsupervised access to media, you\u2019re basically turning that job over to strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kids\u2019 consumption of media is an epidemic, says Schwarz, not unlike the obesity epidemic. \u201cLeft to their own devices in the kitchen, most kids choose junk food, and the same goes for technology,\u201d he says. \u201cMany kids now spend more time with electronic media than they do in school or with their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Schwarz, parents should not fear technology; however, just as you\u2019d never give a young child free reign over the stove, don\u2019t just hand over the mouse or remote.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology has expanded so rapidly. It\u2019s like the Wild West for most of us \u2013 vast, exhilarating and unexplored,\u201d says Schwarz. \u201cBut the Wild West is not a place to turn kids loose. My goal is to give parents a roadmap for leading their kids through this new frontier, safe and sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating a Balance<\/b><\/p>\n

In addition to a digital media plan, families can create a balance of unplugged and plugged in activities. \u201cA healthy media diet consists of five food groups: Family relationships, socialization, values, education and entertainment,\u201d says Schwarz. \u201cIf media doesn\u2019t serve a clear, positive purpose, kids shouldn\u2019t consume it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the role model in your child\u2019s life, it\u2019s important to provide opportunities for engaging in unplugged time. \u201cAs an important adult in their life, you have to lead by example,\u201d says Julia Simens<\/a>, Nevada-based clinical psychologist. \u201cYou have to say \u2018let\u2019s go for a walk\u2019 and walk with him. You can\u2019t say \u2018you need to exercise\u2019 and expect him to head out on his own.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Simens, if you want your child to be involved in outdoor play or a sports team to gain more physical exercise, you need to commit to be at his game, be his cheerleader and personal coach and be 100% committed to his involvement in this team. \u201cWe cannot expect children to give up something that is so much more fun and connects them to their peers without making a positive connection to them as the replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you feel like you\u2019re competing with your child\u2019s iPod, xBox or Wii, you\u2019re not alone. The Stanford University School of Medicine reports that children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation. The reason? Children are spending … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1595,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions\/1595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enannysource.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}