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??

We aim for the 1000 hours over the course of the year. It's very easy for my preschool aged kids because they go/have gone to forest nursery and very difficult for my school aged kids, and that's with us being a very outdoorsy family so rack up a lot of hours during the summer when camping for example. The only year we managed it was 2020 because of the lockdown! It doesn't help that one of my children has chosen an indoor based sport which uses up a huge amount of her time.

I must say though - the positive benefits of unstructured outdoor free play are very noticeable. The way the kids interact with each other, the way they risk assess, their independence levels etc - all very different. And yes there is a lot of research to support that.

I wouldn't say 3 hours a day but we've done the 1000 hours outside challenge the last few years so it averages out to around 3 hours a day. Some are none some are 6-8, especially in school holidays.

I totally count walking to school although that's rare as one of my DC is disabled so we usually drive. My older ones cycle a couple of miles to school.

I think it's also about non screen time aswell not just outdoor activities eg on winter weekends we will probably go swimming rather than a walk but it's still screen free, active time

Mine wouldn't spend hours in the garden unless a) it was really hot and I had the paddling pool out or b) we were doing jobs but if I take them to a wood or the beach (we are very lucky to be near the coast) then the time just flies. I think we often fill our gardens with toys - I am definitely guilty of this - which provide some entertainment but nothing like an unstructured natural environment.

It’s a hard challenge I find- I’m a childminder and we are outside for at least three hours a day, but the non walkers are in the buggy for some of that. At the weekend if the UK weather is on our side we could do that, but if it’s raining or if there are play dates/ parties/ family down, it doesn’t always happen.

I think it's really important, but realistically, no, it's really unlikely.

We have a large garden and in summer sure she will play out, but in winter that's not going to happen.

She also likes to play out front with the kids in the street which I don't usually allow as they could be unsafe.

But most of my childhood memories were free outside play, hours on end, making dens, traveling the city. I feel this is lost in modern society but that's just one of those things. I'd go back if I could but I can't.

No. I tried doing the 1000 hours outside but counting hours made me anxious and miserable. Sapped the joy out of outside time. Some days it's nothing, some days it's half an hour in the park, some days (in summer) it's a full morning kayaking with a picnic then hours in the garden splashing in the paddling pool. It all evens out.

Oh and camping! There's campsites near most places, find a local cheap one, book for a night and bring the kids bikes and scooters and a bottle of wine for yourself.

Why doesn't organised exercise count? Is it because of the imagination needed for the free play? If so, why can't some of that free play be inside? Obviously free play outside involves more running around (although not necessarily), but what is worse about a day with a couple of hours of organised exercise/sport outdoors and a couple of hours of free play inside, with an hour of free play outside, vs a day with 3 hours free play outside? Both days involve a decent amount of exercise, fresh air, and free play.

Free play outside is quite different to free play inside. It generally involves more collaboration, risk taking, investigation, communication, etc.

Free play inside is great, organised sport is great, but neither one gives quite the same benefits as free play outside. However. Realistically unless you are home schooling or have pre schoolers then there is unlikely to be enough time for 3 hours of outdoor free play a day, unless of course you adopt the 1000 hours over the year approach.

Today DD got from school at 4.35, and was changed and out on her bike by 4.45, returning at 6.15.... a benefit of the lighter evenings. In the depths of winter she wouldn't be able to get out at all, even on the 3.30 finish days.

Maybe a permanent change to BST would be beneficial to the amount of time children could play outside?

Yes, we would achieve that goal of 3 hours a day outside free play. Not in the UK though. Sunny, tropical place. Our previous home in a different city had shitty, windy weather and our kids got fat and lethargic because they were inside way too often.

No, as our garden is not fenced and there.is a busy road on one side and a fast flowing stream on another, so it would mean me being out there all the time to supervise.

Some days they’ll play out all day, some days they’ll want to watch cartoons all day 🤷‍♀️
it evens out eventually .

My 13-year-old is outside more than that, but we have a pony and my daughter spends all her free time after school and all weekends at the livery yard. Today she was there for 5 hours and she hen she came home, she went for a bike ride for an hour. The benefit of horse riding, particularly owning a pony, is that kids spend a lot of time outdoors (in all weathers).

when she came home*