Ok so I've agreed to go on breakfast TV tomorrow to talk about this - can you plse tell me what you think?

[JustineMumsnet]

Fewer than 3% of 11-year-olds get enough exercise, according to new study about to be published (they are sposed to get an hour a day).
Would be very grateful if you could post why you think that is, and what could help?

[CountessScabula]

Well I'm not sure about 11 yos but dd is about to start state primary and she gets 2 pe lessons a week

We used to get at least one form of sport a day

What do they count as exercise? Is walking to school exercise? Is scuffling about in playground exercise? Is going to the playground exercise?

I have no idea about the daily sport provision in your average secondary school. I should imagine more compulsary sport and a greater variety would help.

[whomovedmychocolate]

They are too busy sitting around in front of screens (TVs computers etc). We don't have a TV. DD is very active.

Also parents are too paranoid to let them out romping with their mates.

Perhaps elastic tethers with bells could be introduced to keep them safe

[HuwEdwards]

Surely with break and dinner time at school, coupled with PE and any swim classes, and even getting to school and back, they must get an hour's 'physical activity'?

I think the question to ask, is what constitutes 'exercise'?

My daily purpose is to wear my little darlings out (alltho only 7 and 5 at the moment)

[BillyElliotsDad]

Lazy parents! Too easy to plonk them in front of the TV.

What could help? More interesting PE at school, after school sports that don't cost teh earth for parents on low incomes, that kids can do AT school.

Better local facilities - even a field to run about on is enough to keep kids happy IME

[HuwEdwards]

Justine - are you really going to take advice from someone called 'whomovedmychocolate'?

[whomovedmychocolate]

Mind you, once they reach 13 there is always recreational sex and drinking

[WideWebWitch]

No playing fields (although my ds's school has one people remark upon it as in "ooh, it's got a LOVELY playing field!" - in my day most schools had lovely playing fields)
We can't let them walk alone to school, too scared, even if they're old enough, see paranoia everywhere
when they are old enough or even before they are we're all working so bloody hard it's impossible to fit in walking as in walking to school. Where am I going to find half an hour in my day to walk to school? I'm not because we leave the house at 7.30am and dh gets home, having picked up both children, at 6.15pm. I get in at 6.30 if I'm lucky. Where's the TIME to play football etc? We have chores/washing/supper etc

[bookthief]

Ditto WMMC - parents keeping their kids close in the pre-teen years so they don't get in the habit of running about and being physical. I'm not sure that organised activities can ever be a substitute for playing out with your mates.

[fingerwoman]

lazy parents- driving to school instead of walking
maybe picking the "better" school which happens to be further away hence need to drive instead of walk

scared to let kids out to play and so they end up stuck in the house watching tv/playing video games

more kids have tv in rooms

less pe in school. at secondary school we used to have 45 mins a week. crap

[whomovedmychocolate]

Bugger off Huw - I'll have you know I'm president of the village entertainments committee and I make the local kids run for frolics (and not just because we can all have a cup of tea while they are busy doing circuits of the village).

[scienceteacher]

I am a teacher, and I can say that our pupils have their regular PE and Games lessons, and also that they are very active in breaktime and lunchtime. We have a 1h10 lunchtime in our school, and the vast majority of Year 7s are outside playing (skipping seems to be popular right now).

[Piffle]

Being driven to school
Sports being pushed out of schools
no after school sports groups for primary kids (or the pressure on needing 2 working parents means no one can take them) this also stands for playing outside after school
The cost of recreation in this country is exorbitant
Quite frankly that's why we're prob taking ourselves back to NZ

[JustineMumsnet]

I'll take advice from anyone me. - as you know they didn't ring to find out what I think after all.

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

Parents are too scared to let them out to play. Probably not allowed to do half the things I used to do both at school and at home in case they hurt themselves and school gets sued. They are of a generation now where more friends are made sitting on one's arse in front of a PC (like me right now ) rather than going out to meet people. They may not get to the same after school activities because both parents now work and can't be bothered taking them (because they are not allowed to walk there by themselves). They probably get taxied everywhere by car because the parents are too scared to let them use public transport or walk. Ditto for getting to school because they will live outwith the school catchment area cadge a lift off parents on way to work.

[maisemor]

Well I am sitting here looking out my window (and mumsnetting) it is 22.40 and I see about 3 11-year-olds running about, which they have been doing for at least 1 hour. Does that not count for exercise?

Lucky teacher who has to try and teach them tomorrow .

Too much homework.
Parents don't make them walk to school.
Parents can't afford extra curricular activities (we sure can't).
They have tvs in their rooms.
They have computers in their rooms.
It is much cooler to be seen hanging on the street corner with your mobile in your hand texting to your mates.

Seriously though I do think it is the parents responsibility to set a good example and encourage their children to get outside and do something active every day.

[KommandantColditz]

Gawd, Justine! You are like the kid who pipes up at 10 30 at night "Oh, and I need a pilgrim costume for tomorrow. Night mum!"

It's because the paernts drive them to school. We all used to walk or bike, then bike back to a mate's house, then bike home, than I used to walk to music lesson and back. Today kids are ferried here there and everywhere! That's why they are getting fat, nothing to do with crisps at break.

[bookthief]

Also, only based on personal observation, but girls seem to start being "lady-like"/grownup and stand about the playground in groups rather than running around younger than they used to.

[whomovedmychocolate]

I think parents should take it in turns to take preteens out in groups. Even walking round the shops for an hour is exercise and at 11 they are not so cynical that you can't engage them in nature or other such distractions.

[WideWebWitch]

sorry, that was a bit of a rant but really, ds i nearly 10 (so in the group you're asking about) and I can see that really he's not getting enough exercise but I don't quite know what to do about it or have the energy to do anything about it. I doon't have time myself. At the weekend dh will take him to play football but if ds wants to laze about I don't blame him, he's had a bloody hard week:

Mon-Thurs he gets up at 6.30am and we leave at 7.30am, so he's at school from 7.30am - 5.30pm, when dh collects him
Friday I have the day off (compressed hours, hence early starts) and take him to school t 8.45am and collect him at 3.30pm

Poor love, he's knackered.

[whomovedmychocolate]

More walking crocodiles (NOTE NOT WALKING IN CROCS!)

[whomovedmychocolate]

Encourage the little rascals to go swimming so they can eye up the opposite sex too

[divastrop]

i have a ds who's almost 10.i think its a combination of things,such as childrens TV channels being available 24/7(it was an hour and a half a day when i was that age),computer games and the internet-online games being the worst as they get to play games and chat to their mates,and the fact that,as parents,we are reluctant to let them out to play thanks to the media hype that surrounds incredebly rare child abductions(and the fact that parents are always to blame these days if their children get upto no good whilst playing out).

we did PE twice a week when i was at school,as far as i can see nothing's changed in that respect.

[Saturn74]

The councils need to provide proper facilities for families to exercise together.
Weekend and evening sessions of tennis, football, aerobic classes etc that all ages can do together.
Make it easier for families to build regular exercise into their weekly routine.
And at a reasonable cost.
For four of us to go swimming at the local pool it costs nearly £10.
And the changing rooms smell of cheese.
At no extra cost.

[minorityrules]

I would say,

Not enough walking to school, too many parents driving them (you can't get near our local secondary school for cars, I only drove my youngest as she has a disability and until I got LEA transport for her)

Parents too scared to let them out to play due to rising traffic and being scared of the 'bad' men (amounts which hasn;t changed in years, just perception of) This I think is the biggest reason

Not enough open places now they are all being sold off

Lack of sports clubs and affordable after school sports clubs

The rise of personal computing (messenger, games, chat) so kids are amusued indoors

[HuwEdwards]

If there is a problem, it's the issue that the work/life balance is akin to having Kate Moss on the 'life' side of the scales and Dawn french on the 'work' side of the scales.