Topic: family

The policy document contained a list of 52 actions that followed from the objectives and the responsibility for implementing these actions was divided between a number of Government departments, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA), local authorities, the HSE, City and County Development Boards, the Health Service Executive and the CECDE. Implementation of the policy was to be monitored by the DCYA. The plan was influential and clearly recognised the importance of play in the development of children. Outdoor play is instrumental in helping to support children’s personal, social and emotional development and pushes them beyond their normal “comfort zone” to cope with new challenges (Cooper, 2003). Clements (2004) showed us how the children of today spend considerably less time outdoors than their mothers did when they were the same age. One of the reasons given was the dependence on television and digital media as well as concerns about crime and safety. Rhonda Clements conducted a wide scale study of 830 American mothers which showed other factors which influence parental decision-making to keep children at home. These included their concerns about crime and safety. The study also provides several useful suggestions for early childhood professionals, classroom teachers, and parents in order to facilitate more outdoor play. The UK Government study Natural England Commissioned Report NECR208 (2016) discovered that 10% of those interviewed had not been in a natural environment like a forest, beach or park for at least a year. The following year, Harris (2017) proved that outdoor schools provide a more flexible and responsive learning environment. Other research shows that outdoor play provides supports children’s holistic development (Dillon & Dickie, 2012; Fiennes et al., 2015; Gill, 2011; Rickinson et al., 2004). Martyniuck and Tucker (2014) studied a total of 1,113 Early Childhood Education students from 20 Ontario Colleges and examined their physical activity, their awareness of it, and their understanding of its health-related benefits. Their study showed that 72.1% of ECE students had not completed any physical activity/physical education specific courses. Only 28.7% were familiar with the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for the Early Years. Finally, only 10.5% of them reported personal physical activity behaviours which were consistent with national recommendations for adults which is 150 minutes per week. Bento and Dias (2017) issued a paper called The importance of outdoor play for young children’s healthy development in which they claim that changes in current societies are adversely affecting childhood experiences. This is because there is less and less time for outdoor play. This is leading to a more sedentary type of lifestyle and children are becoming disconnected from the natural world. Research by Azlina and Zulkiflee (2012) show that play and movement are essential to the young children’s lives. If we allow children to experience the natural and man-made elements of their living environment we will generate their cognitive, physical, and social skills development. The plan is excellent in recognising the importance of outdoor play, even if, it is nearly entirely confined to playgrounds.