Do your children 'play out'?

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Yamin151
Posts: 2405
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:30 am

Do your children 'play out'?

Post by Yamin151 »

Usual hovis advert stuff but when I was a child I played outside all the time. I grew up in the countryside so lots of land to range over, but no nearby friends and is as far too boring for my sisters, so probably did a lot of that on my own.
My boys do not play out. We live on a lane which is reasonably quiet but access tot he fields to range over is 400yds up this lane and they are not keen to go up! Being two boys I would have thought they'd love it, but they won't go.a nd if I walk up with them (dogs, so often do), they still don't get into play and just come straight back with me. Our garden is quite small, but has trampoline in it, and we have basketball too, but unless I'm out with them they tend not to bother. Yes, sometimes, but not a lot.
Both are slim and fit and get lots of other opps for exercise, so it's not that, but I just feel it's a shame. No local friends to play out with, but they have each other,aged 10. They do minimal limited screen time, so that doesn't keep them in.
Do others children play out loads? Or is this just one of those things people say?
Wouldn't mind if they didn't argue so much! I always take them out at least once in the weekend and rugby Sunday morning, but there's all those other hours!
kenyancowgirl
Posts: 6738
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by kenyancowgirl »

Mine do - we live in a village and they do have local friends - my youngest tends to come in for food and then is off with his bestie playing football at the park, or either in our garden or his friends. My oldest does a lot of sport activity at the weekends and does like to go out - he has less friends in the village now as people have moved etc but will still take himself out on his bike or walk the dog up to the woods etc. If he has a friend over they go down to the streams and make iphone movies or go den building in the woods. Do the two brothers play together? Depends how you define "play"!! If playing is winding each other up, they are masters at that game, or the "let me show you my self defence moves" one....!!!
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by Tinkers »

We are fortunate that we have a big garden and one of DDs best friends from primary lives next door. In warmer weather they free range between the two gardens/houses.
Since starting secondary they haven't seen much of each other, the weather doesn't help and they both have homework. They are not at the same school either.

Reading are piloting a scheme called play streets. A street can apply for permission to close the road to traffic up to twice a month for a couple of hours as long as 2/3 of residents agree.

Our street does this once a month. The kids all get outside on their bikes, scooters etc. The neighbours get to meet up and have a chat. At the next one students from the university are volunteering and bringing those sumo suit things. Apparently there will be adult sized ones too. :oops:
Amber
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by Amber »

Even as teenagers - yes. My lot are pretty feral and are also skinny and fit. When they were younger they were outside all the time - climbing trees, building dams and riding bikes or just running about or playing imaginative games. We are very lucky where we live though, I have to say. Now, one tends to be running or practising her bowling, one cycling and one goes for long walks with his mates; or my kids go together. We are a family who tend towards complete insanity if we can't get outdoors at least once a day, so this wet/floody weather has been a massive challenge and led to a few interesting moods of late. Not least from me: I like to walk and cycle and hate jumping in the car for the tiniest local journey. We grow stuff too and that gets us outside - this year we might try rice as the garden is like a paddy field.

I am a huge believer in the power of the outdoors - nature, if you like - to restore happiness, and I think we all need fresh air as often as possible. Happily all my children seem to think the same way. It's very cheap too - we gave up almost all paid-for activities when we had travelled for a year when the children were small. Realised they were happier without, and besides we had no money left. Mine were always happier when they weren't having their lives planned out for them and they still are.
pheasantchick
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Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by pheasantchick »

We live in a close and the kids all play out. They don't go into the nearby woods, though.

Love the Play Street scheme. We closed the street for the Diamond Jubilee. It was gret.
doodles
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Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by doodles »

We too live in a close and its great for playing out, it's the drivers who coming screaming in wanting to use it as a turning circle that make me fume!

We have a river at the end of the garden and that provides hours of amusement.

The play street scheme sounds fab we've had two street parties (jubilee and wedding) which were great for neighbourliness.
KS10
Posts: 2516
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 12:39 am

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by KS10 »

Another close here. The kids do play out in the hols or gather at someone's house. If it's a mixed group, they will avoid my place as we don't have an X-box or a Playstation. What they do like doing, however, is to use my front door to practise their bowling. Even the neighbours' kids :x. DS doesn't play outside as there's no one of his age, but he will cycle to the tennis court with friends. I find that the amount of homework and other activities such as cricket, netball and music limit the amount of time they spend socialising with friends and neighbours during term time. That's why the school bus is a godsend.
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by southbucks3 »

Having spent the morning at rugby, or in dc3s case wading in the river with the dogs, the two youngest just Wolfed down beans and eggs on toast and are now in the woods den building...which as far as I can make out is a bit like painting ship...they never finish it?

Have they given any reason for not liking outside play..other than the usual response.."boooring" ?

The eldest (13) won't go out much in winter, but in the last summer he was out as much as his bruvs, and out in friends and neighbours gardens too....mostly lying on trampolines chatting, but still outside with them. He did training in the park today with the rugby club, as the pitches are flooded and wrecked, but now is just lazing, yesterday was footy training, lunch, round a friend's Jacuzzi, then home to clean out the chickens..He he.

The rain and drudge can get them into a stay in the house mind set if you don't watch out...it does me, but thankfully we have countryside on our doorstep, so even half an hour dry spells can get used for a bit of a play.
Last edited by southbucks3 on Sun Feb 02, 2014 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
neveragain*
Posts: 580
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 11:05 am

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by neveragain* »

We live right in the inner city. My youngest has been mugged - when 11. It's tricky as I firmly believe in being able to play free range.....but I'm mindful of the environment.
They are out and about a lot to friends on their own, walking there alone or to swimming pool or this afternoon to play badminton but not the hanging around playing in a safe area that a lot of the above forum users DC experience. I so wish that weren't the case.

Have to say the mugging frightened us all. He was amazing and went into our local Indian supermarket crying and asked them to call me. I ran like a tiger mother to the shop where I came upon a group of 5 huge 15/16 yeAr old boys, with my sons scooter. To say I was ferocious is an understatement, I didn't know I had it in me! I was so loud that the shopkeeper and my son came outside to watch :lol:

Afterwards, once police called etc, the shop keeper said - wow I thought you were a child therapist......I said I am, and that's why I didn't try to get them to empathise - no point - I just wanted to keep them away from my street and make them think twice about doing it again......the police were fantastic. My DS was anxious for a whole about walking home from school etc but has now found his confidence again and seems alright about it. He's learnt something, but not something I'd like him to learn in quite that manner! :oops:

I wish we lived in a safe close or somewhere with easy access to safe bike space, but I suppose we gain in being so accessible to leisure centre, cinema, big parks, shops etc.....
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: Do your children 'play out'?

Post by southbucks3 »

What a fantastically brave boy (and mum) glad he still goes out to be with friends.

Always trickier in cities, I suspect I know my friend has to be very organised, and accompanies her kids to the city parks twice a week, but again in this weather.. :( .she also takes them to lots of places that are a real twice yearly thing for mine, like museums and leisure centre roller rinks and recently a free children's theatre, so I guess there are a few bonuses to city life. Oh and we cannot do rollerblading here...too much mud and grit for the wheels down the lanes. :lol:
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