Kids are playing more, but will it last?
By Robert O'Connell, Owner of Summit Physical Therapy
If there were to be a silver lining to the Covid situation, I think I may have found it. Growing up in the latter part of 1960, I had an action-packed childhood in a great neighborhood full of kids. It was easy to find a game of pickup baseball, football and basketball. We had our own Olympics. We played tag, hide and seek, and we rode our bikes until the street lights came on or until we heard one of our dads calling for us to come home for dinner.
I understand that times have changed with the advent of the computer and technology. Maybe my friends and I would have been just like some of the kids today, planted in front of a computer screen or ultra-realistic video game. But who knows? Our game was something called Pong, and it consisted of two short lines for rackets, a dotted line that constituted the net, and a little dot for the ball. Not as exhilarating as today's game. It barely entertained us for an hour before we were running back outside to play.
I see encouraging signs, as I walk my dog around the neighborhood. I am witnessing more interactions between kids outdoors. Some are playing Wiffle Ball in the street, with cones placed strategically to slow traffic. Others have taken to the park down the street to play socially distanced Frisbee. There have been more bicycle riders than I have ever seen in my 30 years of living on the block.
My next door neighbor's teenage boys have set up a "day camp" for a group of younger kids from the block and it's fun to watch. Maybe some more unstructured time is good for these kids? Maybe they are finally getting tired of these screens? Whatever the reason, it's good to see.
As a healthcare provider and physical therapist, I am pleased to see all of the outdoor activity I am witnessing from our youth. Moving their bodies through play is important for growth physically, socially, and emotionally. Yes, there are some positives regarding video games and those include: problem solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, reading and math skills. However, sitting behind a computer screen in a darkened area is fine in short intervals, but this activity needs to be limited and there are numerous articles that suggest such. An article by the Mayo Clinic entitled "Screen time and children: How to guide your child" is a good reference that gives parents pointers on how to manage a child's screen time.
My school district has just announced that classes will be virtual for at least the first quarter. I can only guess that more and more districts will follow. Getting our kids out of the house to play will become even more important over the next few months as a lot of their days will be spent in front of a computer. I hope that once this pandemic is over the trend of outdoor play will continue as it warms my heart from a nostalgic standpoint as well as through the eyes of a healthcare provider.