Kids Stop Playing At Age 9

A new study from the folks at Let’s Play, reveals that once kids hit age 9, they stop playing as often. The survey asked parents if their children play every single day: 65 percent said their 3-year-olds do, 50 percent for 4-year-olds, 56 percent for 5-year-olds, 55 percent for 6-year-olds, 61 percent for 7-year-olds and 56 percent for 8-year-olds. And then it gets interesting. Only 26 percent of parents of 9-year-olds say their children play every day.

Let’s Play is from the folks at Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which partner with nonprofit organizations KaBoom! and Good Sports to build playgrounds and provide grants for sports equipment to make more play possible. The survey of 1,002 adults with at least one child was conducted in April by telephone.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children participate in 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Of the parents surveyed, 75 percent believe that their children are playing enough every day, yet only 41 percent said their children were participating in active play every day.

So, what happens at age 9?

A couple of factors, says kids fitness expert Steve Ettinger. As kids get older, school demands go up, and as well as the use of technology. They become less likely to participate in free play or want to go outside.

Regular play also becomes less accessible. Instead, as they transition into middle school, play goes from recess and outside time after school and becomes organized sports and groups. If you’re not interested in those, you might stop playing.

Parents surveyed identified what the barriers to play were for their children: 65 percent said it was the kids’ preference to play with technology instead; 56 percent said busy schedules, 62 percent said cost of equipment and participation, 37 percent said there was a lack of safe equipment or play spaces, and 31 percent said their child doesn’t enjoy playing.

You can read the rest @
http://parenting.blog.austin360.com/2015/08/26/are-kids-playing-anymore-study-says-not-once-they-reach-age-9/

And once they stop playing, their bodies become frail. I would think the age of puberty is when their physical activity level should increase, not decrease, if they want to grow up strong and healthy.

But what do I know.