Ditch the flip-flops

Saturday, May 10, 2008 | 2:08 a.m.

A new study says many children in day care often don’t go outside to play because they arrive without coats in cold weather or are wearing flip-flops, which don’t protect their feet well enough to romp outdoors.

The research, conducted by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, also shows that some child care center teachers said they forgo outdoor time because the children are apt to chew on or throw the wood-chip mulch that often is used for landscaping around play areas. Other teachers said they simply don’t like the hassle of getting small children ready to go out and then having to stay outside to supervise them.

Still others said outdoor play has been usurped by parents’ demands that their preschoolers receive more book learning in a classroom.

Kristen Copeland, the study’s lead researcher, said the reasons were surprising — as were some actions taken by teachers when children arrived at centers without proper shoes or outer wear. If one child was not appropriately dressed for outdoor play, the entire class often had to stay indoors. In fact, researchers said, some parents intentionally drop off their children without coats to keep them from having to go outside.

Astonishingly, some day care staff members even told the researchers that their personal issues with being overweight prevented them from encouraging children to be physically active.

This report illustrates a troubling trend at a time when 56 percent of American children ages 3 to 6 are in day care and the nation is beset with an alarming rate of obesity and related illnesses, such as Type II diabetes, among children.

Children need to run, climb, kick balls and engage in other active play outside to develop physical coordination. Learning to play toss with another child or negotiate for turns on a swing helps to develop social skills. Adults should not be robbing children of these important opportunities.