BackPlayday to get kids active again
Over the years, our streets have shifted from being social hubs for the community, into spaces considered no go areas for children.
A report released by Living Streets to celebrate their 80th birthday last year highlighted in stark detail how our streets have changed over the past eight decades – with almost half of children aged between 5 and 10 years never playing out on their streets, a sharp contrast to the freedom enjoyed by children in years gone by.
We believe that playing out in the streets is an excellent way for children to get to know their neighbourhood and become part of the community. Yet with parent’s fears of traffic and stranger danger, the sight of children playing freely is becoming increasingly rare.
While the safety of our children is obviously of primary importance, children are no more likely to be abducted today than they were 30 years ago. The impression is given that parents should be fearful, which is often a reason why people understandably make the choice to prevent their children from playing out. However, the perceived ‘stranger danger’ prevalence is exaggerated in the extreme, and is a myth that Living Streets wish to quash.
Playing freely on our streets strengthens friendships, keeps children healthy and helps them to cope with risky situations, but the opportunities for children to do so have been falling rapidly. Reductions in child pedestrian casualty levels are clearly a step in the right direction in terms of safety - they have dropped by 6% since 2007 and have been falling since the 1970s. We believe that limiting traffic speed to 20 mph in areas we live, work and play, is a crucial factor in encouraging children to play in their own streets and further reducing the number of child pedestrian casualties.
National Playday takes place on Wednesday 4 August, and is an annual event which serves to highlight the importance of children’s freedom to play. Through a network of hundreds of organised events, the day encourages children to get active and enjoy exercising. Living Streets believes that the event is ideal for children to recongise the benefits of playing and using their streets, and therefore call upon people to get involved and enjoy the day.
Playday is coordinated by Play England, working in partnership with Play Wales, Play Scotland and PlayBoard Northern Ireland. More details, including information on how to plan you own Playday event, can be found at www.playday.org.uk.
Published on: 20/07/2010
