Overview

• A nationally representative Mott Children’s Hospital survey of 710 parents of children ages 1 to 5, released Oct. 20, reports that 9% say their child plays outdoors once a week or less.
• On a typical day at home, 88% of children engage in physical play and 68% in pretend play, while about 60% watch TV or videos daily and roughly one-third take part in media play such as video games.
• Many parents report handing phones or tablets to occupy young children in cars or public places, especially for preschoolers.
• Safety concerns limit independence for many families, with four in ten parents feeling nervous when a child goes “too far” or “too high” and nearly half staying at a child’s side during new physical challenges.
• Poll leaders recommend allowing age-appropriate challenges like climbing and swinging to build confidence and problem-solving, noting a margin of error of approximately ±2 to ±7 percentage points.