Encourage Children to Be More Active by Upgrading Your Playground and Dog Park Agility Equipment
In order to stimulate their brain’s development, children need to play. This also helps them with developing gross motor skills. It’s important for children to engage in a variety of activities that develop these vital skills before they are five years of age. Otherwise, research indicates that children will be less likely to possess the motor skills that they will need throughout their lives. Furthermore, when children haven’t had the opportunity to engage in the types of play that encourage motor-skill development within their first six years, this can also lead to a life with limited brain power.
Playing outdoors is just one type of activity that can assist children with stimulating their cognitive abilities and further honing their motor skills. The Kaiser Family Foundation conducted research on children’s television-watching habits. They found that children between the ages of 8 to 18 spend about 4.5 hours a day watching television on their mobile phones, the Internet, and the actual television set. While some of the shows they watch may stimulate their cognitive development, it’s necessary for them to engage in regular physical activity as well.
The Sports and Fitness Industry Association conducted research on the level of exercise that children have been receiving. Currently, just 33% of children have been engaging in what experts consider to be an “active to a healthy level” of exercise. Children that engage in 25 minutes of high-calories-burning activity just three times a week are considered to be receiving the recommended amount of exercise to assist with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Research also shows that children don’t play outside as much as their parents did when they were children. On average, it was found that children just played outdoors for four hours a week. When their parents were children, however, they spent about 8.2 hours a week playing outside. There are a variety of reasons for this, of course. This includes the possibility that some children would rather watch television or spend time on their electronic devices and the Internet than go outside to play.
It’s interesting to note that when children are bored, this can actually help them to learn how to be creative. A survey showed, however, that just 21% of the parents indicated that they “strongly agreed” it’s good for children to be bored on occasion. When their own children are bored, just 33% of the parents stated that they would handle this situation by allowing them to “figure things out for themselves.”
Going to the local park or playground can be a great way to alleviate boredom for many children. This may be even more fun when they take the family pet along to play on the dog park agility equipment. Since many children don’t receive as much exercise as they should, a combination of playing on swing sets, tube slides, and running their pet through the dog park agility equipment may assist them with experiencing more.
If you’re in charge of maintaining the playground and dog park agility equipment in an apartment complex, recreation center, school, or other area, you want to ensure that it’s safe and in good condition. This can definitely encourage families, their children, and their four-legged companions to engage in healthy levels of exercise. When a swing set is missing a few seats, for example, replacement parts can easily be obtained. Adding a few extra benches may also be a good idea so that parents can sit and watch their children play.
