Parents, do you encourage your kids to play outside?
It seems as if kids don't play outside anymore to get a good exercise. Instead most of them are inside playing video games, using their laptops, and etc all day.
I remember back then when kids would play jump ropes, basketball, hide and go seek, or whatever they felt like playing but it seems as if those days are over.
Have you ever noticed that more kids are becoming obese?
Update:Even on a beautiful day, it's still a ghost town. 
Comments
Yes, my kids usually spend an hour or more outside every day. They get plenty of exercise.
I have a daughter who is 2. And a boy due in march. She loves to play at the park. We go on walks as a family. Sometimes just around the block to get the paper, but it's fun. Occasionally, we like to walk to the grocery store(1/2 mile), and the other parent meet up. It's such a surprise to her. It's so cute
Our house has 1 tv (in the tv/computer room) we limit tv time to 1/2 hour a day, and there are days she doesn't even use it. Of course there are days we cant go out, but we still try and stay active at home. My husband and I love to run, and we hope our kids do too. Our family is also part of a gym. While we work out, our daughter gets to play. There's slides, climbing things, balls. Stuff like that. So of course we want to encourage our kids to play outside, be active. I think it's terrible how so many kids are becoming obese,
I encourage it other than the summer time. Where I live the summers are rather brutally hot and with very fair skinned children it does not take long for a sunburn to occur even with sunscreen. So going outside in the summer is only for the mornings and the evening.
I think obesity in children as in the rest of the population is from an over indulgence in general. Portion sizes are much too big, we eat less frequently and we exercise less.
I am not a parent, but I have parents. From what they have done to us, I will write down what happened to us. My parents didn't encourage us to play outside, either it is a fine sunny day or it is a cool cloudy day. First I thought they were concerned about the harsh, scourging sun. But when I think back they had became very angry a few times when I sneaked out to play in the afternoon, I started to notice they just prefer us to stay at home where they could have an eye on us. Well their intentions were good, but they just make us less sporty and outdoor-friendly. We don't know anything about sports and less likely to be adventurous. We also prefer to stay at home rather going out when we are bored. The impact are not that bad, but I prefer myself to be an outdoor type guy and sporty. So if I am a parent, I definitely will encourage my kids to play outside.
I'm not a parent but I have my niece who I watch quite often..
She only gets an hour on her computer, and we always do something with her and she still likes going outside but I think it's because of weather that kids can't go outside that often.
this is partly that yet as a rule i think of this is the video games, television, cellular telephones (or telephones many times) my son particularly would not have all of us to play with in my community so he has a tendency to stay holed up in his room. the two speaking on the telephone, watching T.V. enjoying his P.S.P or his PS2, they do no longer play exterior anymore like we used to as quickly as we've been babies.....I had lots relaxing then. If given the alternative between then and now i might choose for then.
I'm not a parent, but growing up my parents always encouraged me to go outside and get my hands dirty!! It helps children to get good exercise and develop an imagination.
I know! when i was little i was always outside! now my younger siblings are like vampires who refuse to see the sunlight. They wont even build a snowman unless its a virtual game!
We boot them out everyday. As such, the neighborhood is adorned with snowmen, snow-women and snow-children..lol
Rain, shine, sleet or snow, they are are out there...we do limit their outdoor play in the rain though so they don't catch colds. But yeah, out they go.