What happened to children going outside to play. As a parent of two daughters that are nine and seven, my children never want to go outside. When I was their age I would go outside and play for hours. I could not wait to finish my homework, so I could go outside and play with my friends. This is not just a trend with my children, but children across American are going outside less. Kids are missing out on a great way to exercise and increase social skills. Kids staying in the house is one of the causes of declining social skills. Children are being raised with less human interaction. Playing outside with friends develops social skills as well as imagination. So why are they staying in the house? One of the reasons is technology. Most kids these days have access to the internet through a computer, phone, or tablet. Technological advancements have made interactions a lot easier, because you do not have to be face to face.
Cell phones and computers are now the vessel to communication. Most teenagers and even young children are communicating through text and social media. This is ruining our children’s ability to initiate conservation and read social clues. The ability to read social clues can tell you a lot about the mood an individual is in. Are they uncomfortable, stressed, or unhappy. These are clues we need to identify, because someone can need help. So if you have children, get them off the computer for a few hours and take them outside because social skills are only learned through human interaction.