British Bull Dog Fights Back…
Officials are urging school kids to get stuck into traditional playground games like British Bulldog in a drive to combat obesity.
Councils are being issued with a list of the top 10 activities for break-time to get pupils moving.
Parents and teachers are told to defy the cautious compensation culture which has seen many games killed off.
“Booming child obesity problems coincide with recent changes in playground habits.”
The Local Government Association (LGA) — which represents more than 400 councils in England and Wales — wants the return of several traditional favourites.
These include British Bulldog, Tag, Stuck in the Mud, Oranges and Lemons, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?, Hopscotch, Skipping, French Elastic — another type of skipping — Marbles and Hide and Seek.
Booming child obesity problems coincide with recent changes in playground habits.
The LGA are warning parents and teachers, if current trends continue, nearly 60% of the UK population will be obese by 2050.
Experts advise that children should be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day, but many now spend up to five hours daily in front of the TV or playing video games.
Councillor Les Lawrence, chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said:
“Children benefit from physical activity and even some rough and tumble. We do our youngsters no favours by wrapping them up in cotton wool, which can prevent them from developing skills they’ll need in their adult life. It’s time to take a stand against many aspects of the compensation culture and accept there are going to be a few scratches and grazed knees because that’s part of growing up.”
“Children used to play regularly on their bikes or kick a ball. Now they’re more likely to spend their free time in front of a TV or round a computer console. That makes it even more important they do some running around during the school day. Playground habits are bound to change with time, but it would be a shame if more active games were to die out — to be replaced by children playing on computers or huddled together in front of a screen.”
