A new study of British kids finds that their parents would smoke them in a footrace if the parents and kids were the same age. That’s because kids today move so much less than their parents did, despite their parents’ widespread access as kids to television and other sedentary entertainment like videogames.
The study found that, in 1998, the least fit child in a class of 30 would in 2018 be among the five most active and healthy. That makes the current generation the first to be less physically fit than their parents since World War II.
“About a third of children have clinically low aerobic fitness,” said Dr. Gavin Sandercock, a sports scientist at the University of Essex.
This reality is one of the big reasons Redeemer Classical’s developing playground focuses on free, open-ended play, our classrooms employ standing desks, and we use active, personal teaching rather than screen-based activities. We can’t wait to add more activities to our playground this spring and summer, such as climbing structures and a water and sand play area, and open them to our neighbors as well as students.
Redeemer Classical School 