Bedtime reading could encourage kids to play
13/10/2011
Reading to kids and allowing them to spend an extra hour in their children's beds could be the key to encouraging them to play more, research has suggested.
Youngsters with a more structured day were found by the ECU Play Project to engage in 30 minutes more unstructured play every day.
"There has been a long held belief in the importance of the three 'R's: reading, writing and arithmetic. We contend the fourth 'R’ – recreation – is as equally important," said ECU School of Psychology and Social Science lecturer Dr Bronwyn Harman.
Unstructured play was found to be crucial for the cognitive, social and emotional development of children, the researchers said, as it allows them to make decisions and resolve conflict.
Statistics from the group show that four-year-olds spend an average of 1.88 hours a day watching TV, one hour reading and 10.35 hours a day in bed.
Posted by Michael Ewing
