Does your child play outside for 3 hours a day?

[StopGrowingPlease]

I’ve just seen this -
‘Pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom calls active free play outdoors, “the most beneficial gift we as parents…can bestow on our children.” Hanscom says ideally kids should be playing outside 3 hours each day, and that doesn’t include organized sports.’
Do your children play outside for 3 hours a day?
My 18 month old has just come back inside after about 40 minutes playing in the garden. He’s also had a 30 minute music class and a 45 minute Little Movers class today. He’s now having his tea and will then probably want to play with his toys inside for a couple of hours before I attempt getting him to sleep. When we go to the park he’s usually out of the pram and playing/walking around for about an hour.
Is this not enough?? What do you and your children do??

I try to aim for it for the children I look after as a nanny but it's not easy. The three year old has been outdoors for two hours today, an hour at the park this morning and an hour pottering around the garden this afternoon.
Angela Hanscom's book is well worth a read, it's called Balanced and Barefoot.

Not if you don’t include organised sport…but in the summer, almost if you can include that. Home from school about 3:30 having had about 40 minutes outside in breaks. Straight outside until about 5:30 for supper. Unless they have cricket in which case it’s eat and then a couple of hours at cricket.

My 10yo will have spent...
An hour at school playtime
An hour at school PE
90 minutes at Rugby practice

If the pe lesson and Rugby practice don't count though...

At the weekend she will likely spend time out on her bike and time in the garden, plus climbing Saturday and Rugby Sunday.

I don’t think this is hugely realistic for most of us in the U.K. I know MN waxes lyrical about puddlesuits and puddle jumping, but even the most expensive waterproofs will be defeated by very heavy rain. Plus, a lot of activities just aren’t enjoyable in the rain, snow or ice.

In summer it is possible, but I would say from October to April, no.

Today, yes. We went for an hour’s walk in the countryside, 90 minutes in the park alternating between scooting, playground and kicking a ball around, and half an hour pottering to and from the shop.

Easier with a garden but ours is a concrete hovel right now. In Dec/Jan we barely left the house: rain is fine but then once they’re wet through the cold sets in and it’s just impossible to manage. Once cold, DD just howls until warm. We do plenty of dance parties and den building and hide and seek indoors though.

It depends. The 3 year old - on a preschool day, yes, they spend 3 hours outside during free flow. On his days at home, it varies depending on the weather - sometimes much more than 3 hours, sometimes a lot less, always at least an hour though.

The 6 year old, not on a school day - he probably only gets an hour. He is pretty active and does some sport and running around at after school club but he is in school 8-5:30 and goes to bed at 7 so there isn't really time. As per the 3 year old at the weekend

Ah yes, because we all have safe and contained gardens for our personal use.

My 18month old LOVES to be outside so we do a lot of park trips, walks outside, playground etc etc. mud club. But 3 days a week he has nursery because, you know, I am working, so limited scope for outside there. Certainly not three hours.

she rubs me up the wrong way to be honest, it’s a bit pie in the sky and patronising. I bet her kids only eat off bamboo plates too.

We track for 1000 hours outdoors which spreads it more realistically for people with winters (I don't think ours are harsh, but they are wet!). We did it last year but I am absolved of the effort 3 days a week by nursery.

DS’s nursery does have time outside with them. Not sure if it is three hours though!

Pretty much. Between various things, park, garden, going places.
In spring and summer they're outdoors probably feom 9.30am till 8pm they hate being indoors when nice weather.

That heatwave last year they were literally hours upon hours in the pool keeping cool.

At nursery - I would say yes as they were out a lot, they asked for proper rainproof clothing so unless it was really bad they were playing outside.

At home - most likely not each day but we tried to be out for a day or at least 1/2 day on the weekend plus playing in the garden.

While I think it is possible to be outside all year round, realisticly you will have more bad days than good days between November and February.

I find it quite patronising. It's not ideal that children start school so early and aren't able to be playing unstructured anymore, DD was just over 4 when she started.

Spring to autumn yes easily - break and lunchtime at school and then after school club or going to out to play.

Winter months and dark nights - usually would only manage at the weekend.

Eldest DD is in a school that tries to get them outside as much as possible- 2+ hours a day
Middle DDs go to nursery and are outside 3-4 hours a day (they have a covered area classroom)
Youngest DD and I go out for a walk 1 hour a day, and play in the garden/conservatory with the doors open for a few hours too. We also are out out most of the day

Oh good another unrealistic targets for us mums to feel guilty about (let’s be honest about who takes on that guilt)….

Yeah, totally agree. Let’s face it unless you’re sending your kids to forest school this isn’t happening.

Another stick to beat ourselves with…

I swear it’s rained everyday for the last week. I get dressing for the weather but neither myself or my 16 month old would enjoy getting wet. DD8 won’t play in the garden until it’s warm enough to not need a coat.

This.

After 2 plus years of only being able to be outside I'll be happy to never see another puddle suit again

If SAHP's are eradicated by the government - will any kids be outside playing for 3 hours a day?

Wraparound care is indoors and in the Summer they're only allowed outside for short periods due to Health & Safety worries about sun exposure etc

Just feels like we're constantly damned if we do and dammed if we don't at the moment

Just want to quickly add - forest schools and clubs aren't available in my area. (Sadly! We'd love it!)

The schools outside space is 100% concrete :/ no grass

No. Probably an hour of outside play at school. DD could have had more at after school but it's free choice and she normally chooses drawing, board games and Lego unless it's the summer.
They rode their bikes to school and back so that's another half hour of fresh air and exercise, but not play.

Yes, when the weather isn't too awful (and sometimes when it is... We live very rurally and all the kids in the village play outdoors a lot and always have done. They have a more Enid Blyton childhood than I did actually - roaming the fields, exploring the woods, building dens. My eldest is 12 and has become a bit more of a homebody but still spends an hour or two outside when the weather is good.

Probably close, 30mins on the scooter to and from school eachway, 1hr throughout the day at school breaks.

45mins dog walk usually walking/running or bike, stop for some play in a park

Probably yes, usually outside about 2 hours after school because I have too much farm work to do to be stuck inside and I would assume an hour at school. It’s only in bad weather that we’re inside - sadly, this is why the house is an absolute tip because I’ve no free time to ever sort it out. 😩

In the summer yes, they definitely get more than three house outside but not really In the winter.

Occasionally on a summer day, yes, otherwise no.

3yo has a chronic illness which causes fatigue so her tolerance for things like the park isn't great. She's also not great with cold. She had a playgroup this morning (car there and back) and lunch at home. Then napped from 1.30-5 and up for dinner.

As the days get longer I'll try to do more garden in the afternoon (nap isn't usually quite that long) and dinner outside.