Why Children Need Outdoor Play Persuasive Essay by scribbler

The paper discusses how the culture of play in the United States is changing; children spend an inordinate amount of time sitting in front of screens and too little time outdoors. The paper considers the modeling children witness at home, that generally consists of parents glued to computers, games or blackberries, and also relates that when time is set aside in modern society for outdoor activities, it is too often of the organized kind instead of creative play sans adult supervision and directorship. Another factor the paper addresses is the fear parents have to allow their children to play unsupervised in a park or on the street; the paper quotes the term "helicopter parenting" and explains that there has been a shift in society's attitude about risk. The paper emphasizes how playtime is an essential ingredient in the development of healthy children in terms of social and intellectual skills, and this includes learning impulse control, problem solving, negotiating skills, creative thinking and team play.