Importance of physical activities among youths
Physical activities among children have strengthened their muscles and bones by participating in different organized sports. Also, those activities have helped to develop a healthy heart and lungs and to maintain a healthy body weight. Despite the lack of playgrounds and awareness about the importance of physical activities among the youths, there are youths also who have more interests in sports rather than academics. Still, they are not able to pursue their career as a sports person because of the lack of encouragement as well as opportunities around them.
Youths are not engaged in physical activities and outdoor games; nowadays, they prefer much more online gaming, which basically destroys their social connective skills. As youths have been more indulged in indoor games from their childhood and are not habituated to outdoor games, their interest in outdoor games has been decreasing. Also, due to the lack of open spaces for outdoor games, like football, basketball, and cricket, youths are influenced by digital entertainment and changing lifestyles.
Lack of playgrounds in the localities and its effects
In this era of industrialization, one of the crucial aspects of society is the lack of open spaces and playgrounds where youth can play regularly and engage in physical activities in order to lead a healthy mind. Especially in metropolitan cities, and ‘urbanization’ is the core cause of the shortage of open spaces. According to the reports of the World Bank (1991), since 1950, the population has increased in metropolitan cities from 300 million to 1.3 billion, and it has been assumed that by the year 2030, the amount of these cities might have increased by approximately 160 percent. This has led to a decrease in the.
This can significantly affect the youth, and they have led the children to engage in electronic devices like mobile phones and tablets and it has increased their screen time. Due to the lack of a playground, the youth are unable to make social connections within their surroundings, and they spend more time indoors, playing video games, which has significantly affected their physical activities and also minimizes the interaction of the young adults with their peers and parents.
The lack of this playground has also decreased the interest of the children in outdoor games, which has affected their physical health and behavior. They are unable to get the benefits of outdoor games and are also unable to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
Lack of awareness among parents
It has been observed from many surveys that the parents always expected their children to get good grades and they also did not even realize the importance of outdoor games in early childhood. We do not blame the youth completely for not choosing their profession as a sports person. Parents’ utmost duty is to teach their kids to give equal importance to study as well as sports.
The parents have provided their children with a packed schedule in their daily routine where the kids are not even able to play freely in the playground and engage in unstructured play. For the children the playgrounds have been crucial aspects for their development and to form the foundation of their future learning and behavior. By practicing, the children can master new skills and develop coordination and strength further, while in playing indoor games the children could not build their physical skills.
Also, playing outside can help children build multiple skills and form social connections by allowing them to play in different groups. Further, it has been researched that youths who are more into outdoor games and Physical activities are able to build a stable network in their social lives. This further helps them pursue a stable career while having loved ones by their side.