Pop the bubble wrap and let kids play outdoors, pediatricians say – CBC
Pediatricians encourage parents to allow children to take risks, even if it leads to minor cuts, bruises
Jan 25, 2024
Climbing a tree, tobogganing or rough-and-tumble play are all outdoor activities that children should be encouraged to do to promote health, Canadian pediatricians say in new guidance.
New recommendations released Thursday by the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) emphasize the importance of unstructured outdoor play for children’s development and physical and mental health amid rising obesity, anxiety and behavioural issues.
Dr. Suzanne Beno, one of the authors of the guideline, said they don’t want parents or educators always inciting fear in children.
“Even situations where there isn’t that much danger, we may actually provoke more anxiety and more fear than is necessary.”
As an emergency physician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and head of the CPS’s injury prevention committee, Beno said it’s also important to distinguish risk from hazard.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/risky-play-cps-1.7094072
