Are We Damaging Our Children By Not Playing With Them?
A nationwide study of British parents has found as many as 87% of mums and dads worry that they don’t play or engage enough with their children.
Asked why they struggle to have one-on-one time with their kids, a third said they’re too tired after a long day at work, and one in three also admitted they simply don’t have the energy to play.
Nearly half of the 2000 parents asked said that the stress of modern living means there’s little time for downtime as a family.
Yet a clinical report published last year – The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children – says playing with both parents and peers is key to building thriving brains, bodies, and social bonds for children.
The 2018 US study found that play, especially with parents, improves children’s abilities to plan, organise, get along with others, and regulate emotions. In addition, play helps with language, math and social skills, and even helps children cope with stress, according to the findings.
But today’s figures – released by toy brand Little Tikes – found that seven in ten parents across the UK believe their kids don’t have enough playtime due to modern day pressures.
Interacting with parents is key to building thriving brains, bodies, and social bonds for children.
Although nearly all parents surveyed agreed that playing with their kids is good for the whole family, many said it can be difficult to commit to it. Nearly half (49%) confessed to checking their phone during playtime, and 43% have chosen to put the kids in front of the TV instead to give them time to get on with other things.
And the benefits of play for the relationship between parent and child are even greater, as 67% of parents say it strengthens the bond between them.
The research also found that- despite modern parents wanting to spend more time playing with their kids – nearly half of respondents said their own parents played with them less when they were children than they do with their own offspring.
It seems too much technology is a big concern for parents today, three quarters confessing they feel guilty about the amount of screen-time their kids have.
Michelle Lilley, Head of Marketing for Little Tikes told Belle About Town: “Families are busier than they’ve probably ever been, meaning it’s harder to get that quality play time together. The pace of modern life is causing play to take a back seat, but as our research shows, parents are big believers in play and the benefits it provides to the whole family, which is great to hear.”
