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It's springtime, and that means mud pies, bug bites and scraped knees—if you're a preschooler. Or at least it used to.
Health experts say young children should get at least an hour of physical activity a day. And studies have linked more time outside with motor development, improved mental health, better behavior and, of course, more sun-supplied vitamin D.
But a new study of nearly 9,000 U.S. children found that almost half of preschool-age kids are not getting outside at least once a day with their parents.
Girls were even less likely to be taken outside than boys, and some families reported not taking their young children outside more than a few times a month. The findings are in Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. [Pooja S. Tandon, Chuan Zhou and Dimitri A. Christakis, "Frequency of Parent-Supervised Outdoor Play of US Preschool-Aged Children"]
Kids who had daycare were slightly less likely to get the time outside with a parent. They were also unlikely to get the recommended minimum one-hour of physical activity while at daycare. So researchers recommended checking in with care providers about time outside. One hour out of 24 isn't too much to ask, right?
–Katherine Harmon
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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3 Comments
Add CommentWhat's with these cave dwellers? Preschool children, where I taught, and all the children up to the 6th grade were outside four times a day for 15 minute recess and one hour after lunch. It sounds like they need to recruit more male teachers. I know that boys need at least one hour a day of physical activity to expel built up energy. Here is something you may want to consider: I do not remember there being not one single case of ADD and ADHD in the school.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI want to spend as much time as possible with my childrens in the future.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs has been shown by studies sponsored by MS Society of Canada, MS is 3 times more prevalent in women in men. And has been shown by MS Societies of Canada, US and UK low vitamin D levels in developing brains of children are a high risk factor for children developing MS as younger adults.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe protect our children too much with sunscreen and dire warnings of skin cancer. Huge mistake. Let children experience full sunlight unprotected for 15 to 20 minutes and then apply sunscreen. In winter in northern climates supplement daily with Vitamin D pills: from 400 IU to 3000 IU depending on the age/weight of the child.