Kids Want to Play Outside with Friends More Than They Want to Play Video Games
In a large-scale study in which children themselves were asked about their play preferences, outdoor play with friends came out on top. – Peter Gray
The statistics regarding this quote are as follows: 89% of kids said they prefer outdoor play with friends to watching television, and 86% said they prefer it to computer play. I was absolutely shocked by these percentages. Gadgets seem like a must and the target audiences for them are getting younger and younger. Even though I have extensive photographic evidence that my children are enraptured by nature, especially when we head outside with friends, I still always have this twinge in the back of my mind that they would probably rather be watching a cartoon or playing on a tablet. I certainly have been sucked into television shows at times and I struggle to ignore push notifications that come through my phone throughout the day.
Many parents are struggling to find a screen time balance and are striving for less screens and more real life. A simple motivating sentence is that our kids actually prefer that. They prefer what's good for them. They prefer this activity that engages their brain and their body and helps them grow and development. I was thrilled to learn this! It's like preferring carrot sticks over Cheetos or a glass of water over a juice box. Parents, grandparents, caregivers, and child-care centers let it be know that:
Children want to play outside with their friends!
So, let's put the gadgets away. Let's turn the cartoons off. And instead, let's take out our calendars, call up some friends, and schedule in as many outdoor blocks of time as we can. The Screen-Free week is a fantastic movement. The impacts of children experiencing the richness of a screen-free life are long-lasting and far-reaching. But what about a screen-free month? Or screen-free evenings? Or screen-free Sunday? Could we pull off a screen-free year?
I know the devices provide the adults with some breathing space. I know that we are supposed to practice moderation. But boy are those screens life-like. And I think the more we are around them the more we forget about the rich and picturesque world that is around us. Sure, those screens are sharp. But what compares to the setting sunlight glowing through the trees or the way a stream of water flows around rocks or a squirrel scampering down a tree trunk? I know I find more fascination in a robin pulling an earthworm from the grass than I do in watching a hawk swoop down and catch pray in a television show.
If children seem "addicted" to their gadgets, could it be we didn't give them enough choice? We can affect change with one simple solution: offer better options. It's what most of the kids want anyway.
