The Children’s RDA
for Free Time Report
Dr Sam Wass, Child Psychologist
Commissioned by Center Parcs
Contents
Introduction
page 2
Chapter One
How busy can our children really be?
page 3
Chapter Two
Over half of children’s free time
is spent in front of screens
page 5
Chapter Three
The Children’s RDA for Free Time
page 6
Chapter Four
What children stand to gain from free time
page 8
Chapter Five
Encouraging children to make the
most of their free time
page 9
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 1
Introduction
‘The Cult of Busy’ is something which has been widely
accepted in Britain. When we’re asked how we are, the
general response is usually ‘busy!’, ‘manic!’ or ‘rushed
off my feet!’.
In fact, it’s fair to say that being busy is now considered to be the
norm, it’s a sign we’re making the most of our time and are ‘keeping up’.
Between our jobs, family responsibilities and social commitments, we
seem to constantly be on the move.
But have we considered how this might be passed on to our children?
To explore this, The Children’s Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for
Free Time Report was commissioned by Center Parcs, and developed by
child psychology expert Dr Sam Wass, from Channel 4’s ‘The Secret Life
of 4 & 5 Year Olds’. The report forms part of Center Parcs’ focus on
providing children the time and environment for imaginative play.
Being busy is now
considered to be the
norm, it’s a sign we’re
making the most of our
time and are ‘keeping up’
Alongside Dr Sam Wass’ extensive knowledge in his field, Center Parcs
spoke to over 2,000 parents of children aged four to 11 and 1,000
primary school children, aged six to 11, from across the UK, on their
current free and scheduled time.
Dr Sam Wass said:
“ This report has shown that giving children the space and time away
from structured activities can be much more beneficial than many
parents realise. We understand that in our everyday lives, it’s difficult
to carve out this time so hope that this RDA will help families to
maintain this important balance”.
Fig 1: Why parents put their children in extra classes
To help with their socialisation
To give them the opportunity
to excel at what they like
To further their learning
Because I never got to do
extra clubs and classes
To keep them busy
53%
54%
44%
12%
27%
“
Child-led, unstructured free play is vital
for stimulating imagination and creativity”
– Dr Sam Wass, Child Psychologist
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 2
How busy can our children really be?
We all yearn for the simpler days of childhood…long summer
days outside, playing with our imaginary friends and riding on
our bikes until dusk. But are our children doing the same thing?
Unfortunately, it seems that they just don’t have the time to. Instead, wellmeaning parents are signing them up to extracurricular activities, classes
and clubs with the good intentions of educating, broadening horizons and
‘opening doors’.
As a result, primary school aged children – aged between four and 11 – are
now ‘working’ – either in school or through scheduled activities – for up to
46 hours a week, nine hours more than the UK adult average of 371 hours.
Furthermore, parents now estimate that their children have an average
of just one hour and 29 minutes free on a week day.
So, what are they spending their time on?
Parents now estimate
that their children have
an average of just one
hour and 29 minutes
free on a week day
On average, children get up at 6.55am and go to bed at 8.01pm, giving
them 13 hours and 6 minutes awake in a day. However, school takes up
around six hours and 10 minutes of that – plus an average of 26 minutes
of travelling time to school each day.2 During the weekend – they don’t
have school, but their days still fill up.
The average child already completes 30 hours and 50 minutes a week at
school Monday to Friday, as well as five hours and 24 minutes of homework
each week. But on top of this, parents enrol children into at least three
activities a week, such as language lessons, sports clubs and music lessons
– which adds a further two and a half hours on to an already exhausting
timetable of events.
In addition, most parents say they actively read with their children
i.e helping them read, for at least 50 minutes a day – or five hours and
49 minutes a week.
And finally, to make absolutely sure their child has the very best chance of
getting ahead, the average parent also encourages their children to practice
activities such as writing, maths and drawing for a further two hours and
25 minutes a week.
1
2
Based on the December 2016 UK Labour Market bulletin by Office For National Statistics
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/476635/travel-toschool.pdf
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 3
How busy can our children really be? (continued)
Dr Sam Wass said:
“ Many parents are desperate to do the right thing for their children – we
shuttle them back and forth from school, to football, to an after-school
club, and then get them home and sit and make them do their homework.
Creating these opportunities for children is fantastic, but it’s also key
to ensure a balance is achieved.
“ In fact, research suggests that, rather than constant, adult-led cramming,
it’s much more beneficial for children if their time is not always so
structured3. In fact, it’s the down-time, when there is not so much going
on and the child has to entertain themselves, when they do their best
learning4. There is a huge amount of research that suggests that this
child-led, unstructured free play is vital for stimulating imagination and
creativity5, as well as helping the child to become more self-sufficient6.”
Fig 2: A snapshot of a child’s working week (activity/time per week)
Housework –
1 hour 37 minutes
Reading –
5 hours 49 minutes
TOTAL –
46 hours
7 minutes
Clubs & Homework –
7 hours 51 minutes
“
3
4
5
6
School –
30 hours 50 minutes
44% of children believe that they do
more in a day than their parents”
– Dr Sam Wass, Child Psychologist
Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining
strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191.
Buchsbaum, D., Bridgers, S., Weisberg, D. S., & Gopnik, A. (2012). The power of possibility: Causal learning,
counterfactual reasoning, and pretend play. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences, 367(1599), 2202-2212.
Carlson, S. M., & White, R. E. (2013). Executive function, pretend play, and imagination. The Oxford
handbook of the development of imagination, 161-174.
Berk, L. E., Mann, T. D., & Ogan, A. T. (2006). Make-believe play: Wellspring for development of selfregulation. Play= learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional
growth, 74-100.
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 4
Over half of children’s free time
is spent in front of screens
When children do have free time, our research suggests
that they spend the majority of it doing one thing – watching
a screen.
Television, playing on tablets, phones or computers and other digital
distractions account for six hours and 49 minutes a week, with children
spending over three hours (three hours 10 minutes) watching television
weekly and almost one in 10 (9.3%) parents revealing their children spend
over five hours watching TV on a weekday.
That’s 65% of their available free time during a week day spent in front
of a screen.
When given the choice of what to do when bored, over two thirds (67%)
of children interviewed said they would watch TV over anything else.
However, when asked what they actually enjoy doing the most, playing
outside comes out on top.
Fig 3: Top things children do when bored vs what they most enjoy doing
Activity to curb boredom
Activity most enjoyed
Play on my tablet/computer
27.0%
Playing outside
14.5%
Watch TV
23.7%
Playing on my tablet
12.4%
Come up with games to play
13.4%
Playing sport outside
11.2%
Play outside
12.1%
Playing with my toys at home
9.3%
Playing computer games
8.1%
Play on the internet
7.5%
Dr Sam Wass said:
“ Time spent watching TV is one of the least demanding activities – but if
we spend all of our free time watching TV we miss out on a range of vital
learning opportunities that come from imaginative play – including
playing outdoors and with our friends and family.
“ It’s interesting that, when they’re asked what they spend most time doing,
children say they spend it watching TV – but when they’re asked what they
most enjoy doing, they say playing outdoors. It’s almost as if children would
spend their free time doing other things – if only they weren’t so exhausted!”
“
Children spend over half of their free time
in front of a screen” – Dr Sam Wass, Child Psychologist
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 5
The Children’s RDA for Free Time
“
Research suggests that children’s free
playtime has dropped by an estimated 25%
over the past twenty years
– Dr Sam Wass, Child Psychologist
In light of these findings, child psychology expert Dr Sam Wass
has developed a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for
Free Time for children – three hours and 51 minutes.
The RDA, which was inspired by the government guidelines we use for fruit
and vegetables, is based on three hours on a week day and six hours a day
at the weekend, calculated using the time needed for a variety of free-time
activities which will allow children to use their imagination.
According to this new figure, children currently have a free-time deficit of
two hours and 22 minutes, which is created when they begin primary school
and their days are filled with extra-curricular activities and scheduled
events.
Recommending three hours and 51 minutes a day, the RDA provides enough
time for children to participate in a range of free-time activities which will
allow them time to play, use their imagination and develop their thinking.
Suggested ways for children to use their free time:
Fig 4: RDA for children’s free-time activities
Physical play
outdoors7
RECOMMENDED
DAILY ALLOWANCE:
1 hour
a day
Free play
that’s not
screen time
RECOMMENDED
DAILY ALLOWANCE:
1 hour
Screen time
RECOMMENDED
DAILY ALLOWANCE:
30 mins
a day
a day
7
8
Reading
to children8
RECOMMENDED
DAILY ALLOWANCE:
30 mins
a day
Shared
parent-child
activities
RECOMMENDED
DAILY ALLOWANCE:
3 hours
a day at weekends
Sallis, J. F., Prochaska, J. J., & Taylor, W. C. (2000). A review of correlates of physical activity of children and
adolescents. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 32(5), 963-975.
Karrass, J., & Braungart-Rieker, J. M. (2005). Effects of shared parent–infant book reading on early
language acquisition. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26(2), 133-148.
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 6
The Children’s RDA for Free Time (continued)
Dr Sam Wass said:
“ Research suggests that children’s free playtime has dropped by an
estimated 25% over the past twenty years9. The RDA for Free Time is
similar to that for fruit and vegetables: it’s best if you don’t reach your
target by eating five apples – variety is ideal. The same is true for free
time – mixing up the types of activity is key for development. You also can’t
just do all of the hours over the weekend – the key is to spread the activity
out over the week and have a good amount of quality free time each day.”
Fig 5: How children’s Recommended Daily Allowance of Free Time should be split
Shared parent-child
activities
Going outside
TOTAL –
3 hours
51 minutes
per day
Reading to children
Free play that’s not
screen time
Screen time
“ The figures might initially look high, causing you to think ‘this is too much
to ask!’ but this RDA is designed as a goal for parents and children to work
to. We want to encourage parents to use this as an opportunity to assess
their child’s scheduled time and supplement some of the extra-curricular
clubs for some of these suggestions. It’s understandable that some days
are busier than others and it just might not be possible to hit a perfect
balance every day, but the key is for parents to try to encourage their
children to do a variety of the free time suggestions, whenever they can
free up time.
“ Additionally, the age of children in primary school spans from four to 11 –
where there is a big jump in development – so the free time activities are
deliberately loose in description, meaning that parents can interpret them
in a way which suits their child and their age.”
“
9
Children currently have a free-time
deficit of two hours and 22 minutes
– Dr Sam Wass, Child Psychologist
Burdette, H. L., & Whitaker, R. C. (2005). Resurrecting free play in young children: looking beyond
fitness and fatness to attention, affiliation, and affect. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine,
159(1), 46-50.
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 7
What children stand to gain
from free time
The range of different free time activities bring with them
a range of different benefits:
1) Going outside. In Scandanavia all young children have to spend several
hours a day outdoors10 – even in winter. Going outside, particularly into a
green environment, is proven to be the most effective technique for helping
your children de-stress11, and work off the energy that builds up over the
course of a day spent indoors – meaning that they sleep more12 and you start
the next day better. This can be unstructured – if you can, the best option is
to go somewhere outside where children have free time to explore on their
own, without being closely supervised by adults. One hour a day, every day.
2) Free play that’s not screen time. Free play - time spent where the child
has to come up with the activity, and decide what they do, and the only rule
is that screens aren’t involved – is essential for children13. Having to come
up with their own activities encourages independence and creativity – and
children get better at entertaining themselves the more practice they get.
It’s also beneficial for children to spend time playing with children of
different ages. One hour a day, every day.
Going outside,
particularly into a
green environment, is
proven to be the most
effective technique for
helping your children
de-stress11
3) Screen time. Time spent watching TV is one of the least demanding ways
of spending time – and it’s important to have time to relax. Try to spend
time watching TV with your children together14 – this can be a great way
of getting conversations going, based around shared interests. It will also
encourage children to watch a greater range of different types of program.
In terms of computer games, this can also help with logic and problem
solving – if parents can get involved in the game, that’s even better. It is,
however, important to limit the screen time to allow time for the other
suggested ways to use their free time. 30 minutes a day, every day.
4) Being read to. All children love stories, and listening to stories is a
great way of teaching children to concentrate15. Screen time, particularly
immediately before bedtime, is proven to lead to poor quality sleep16.
Listening to just the words of a story forces a child to fill in the details in
their imagination – and it’s something relaxing that almost all children enjoy.
Finding time for half an hour of a book before bedtime is one of the most
important ways to spend time with a child. 30 minutes a day, every day.
5) Spending shared parent-child time on a shared activity. It’s important to
spend time on shared activities based around common interests. Letting
the child choose what they do is important. Art activities, cooking – even
getting them to help with day-to-day jobs such as household repairs can
all be beneficial activities. Three hours a day at weekends.
https://rethinkingchildhood.com/2013/09/30/scandinavia-reconnecting-children-nature-nordic-adventure/
Beyer, K. M., Kaltenbach, A., Szabo, A., Bogar, S., Nieto, F. J., & Malecki, K. M. (2014). Exposure to
neighborhood green space and mental health: Evidence from the survey of the health of Wisconsin.
International journal of environmental research and public health, 11(3), 3453-3472.
12
Astell-Burt, T., Feng, X., & Kolt, G. S. (2013). Does access to neighbourhood green space promote a healthy
duration of sleep? Novel findings from a cross-sectional study of 259 319 Australians. BMJ open, 3(8),
e003094.
13
Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining
strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191.
14
Rasmussen, E. E., Keene, J. R., Berke, C. K., Densley, R. L., & Loof, T. (2016). Explaining parental coviewing:
The role of social facilitation and arousal. Communication Monographs, 1-20.
15
Mol, S. E., Bus, A. G., de Jong, M. T., & Smeets, D. J. (2008). Added value of dialogic parent–child book
readings: A meta-analysis. Early Education and Development, 19(1), 7-26.
16
Hale, L., & Guan, S. (2015). Screen time and sleep among school-aged children and adolescents: a
systematic literature review. Sleep medicine reviews, 21, 50-58.
10
11
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 8
Encouraging children to make
the most of their free time
76% of parents admitted that when doing activities with
their children they are structuring them to try and teach or
educate. On the surface, this is very much a good thing,
however it can be limiting for children.
Dr Sam Wass has created top tips on how to engage with children and
utilise their free time in the best way possible.
Follow your child’s interests
Every child is interested in something. All you need to do is to support them,
and provide what they need to help them develop their interests. And it
helps if you can get them interested in what you’re interested in. It can be
hard to switch off the button in your head saying ‘I’m in charge’ – but it’s
really important to engage with your child, but let your child set the agenda.
Don’t be scared to hear ‘I’m bored’
The first thing you’ll hear when you turn off the screens is the cry that
they’re bored. But the more children get used to using their imagination
to entertain themselves, the easier they will find it.
The more children get
used to using their
imagination to entertain
themselves, the easier
they will find it
Screen time can be shared time, too
Even sitting playing a computer game with a child can be a great bonding
experience, and can help the child to learn more from the game17. And
sitting watching TV together can help to start up conversations, and to
encourage them to watch a greater variety of different types of TV.
Help them to help themselves
There’s a saying that goes: ‘Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.’ Well, the same applies
to play! Children have to be taught how to play, and to develop their own
structured, long-lasting projects that will allow them to entertain
themselves without needing other forms of stimulation. You might have to
sit with them, and support them for a while, as you teach them how to play
productively. But what they learn from this process, in terms of life-long
skills is every bit – or possibly more – important than what they learn
at school.
Colin Whaley, Marketing Director at Center Parcs said:
“ This report shows that parents are really going above and beyond to do
what they think is best for their child. As a parent myself, I was initially
taken aback by the suggested recommended daily allowance, but it gave
me food for thought about whether or not my own children currently
achieve it. My wife and I spend most of our free time taking them to clubs
and watching them play sports and as a result we actually have very little
time just enjoying each other’s company. Clubs and sport play an
important role for their development and life skills but creating a balance
with some more simple time out together is clearly very important.
17
Rasmussen, E. E., Keene, J. R., Berke, C. K., Densley, R. L., & Loof, T. (2016). Explaining parental coviewing:
The role of social facilitation and arousal. Communication Monographs, 1-20.
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 9
Encouraging children to make the most of their free time (continued)
“ We commissioned this report to further understand family life and what
challenges parents and children are facing and overcoming, so we can
always ensure we’re offering what they need. What has undoubtedly come
out of this is the need for families – parents and children alike – to take
time out to relax. We are passionate about creating the best environment
for families to experience this, and insights such as these are invaluable
for us to create the best short break possible.”
The Children’s RDA for Free Time Report
page 10
Children’s RDA for Free Time: Center Parcs
commissioned research house OnePoll to poll a
representative sample of 2,000 UK adults – who are
parents of children aged four to 11 at primary school –
and 1000 UK primary school aged children, aged
between six and 11 in December 2016
About Center Parcs UK Limited
Center Parcs has five Villages across the UK; Sherwood
Forest in Nottinghamshire, Elveden Forest in Suffolk,
Longleat Forest in Wiltshire, Whinfell Forest in Cumbria
and Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire.
As the leader in the UK short break holiday market,
Center Parcs regularly achieves average annual
occupancy in excess of 97%.
Center Parcs offers weekend, (Friday to Monday) or
midweek (Monday to Friday) breaks and welcomes over
2.2 million guests each year, with 96% of guests
expressing an intention to return
The Center Parcs concept is to provide a range of
high quality accommodation, shops, restaurants and
exceptional leisure facilities, carefully nestled amongst
400 acres of protected forest environment. This
concept originated in Holland in 1967, with the first
UK Center Parcs opening in 1987. Center Parcs is now
a separate entity in the UK.
Center Parcs has been announced ‘Best Family Holiday
Provider’ in the Tommy’s Awards for the eleventh
year in a row.
About Dr Sam Wass
Dr Sam Wass gained a first-class undergraduate
degree in Experimental Psychology at Oxford
University. He did his PhD at the Centre for Brain and
Cognitive Development, Birkbeck. Subsequently he was
awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship,
based at the Medical Research Council Cognition and
Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, followed by an ESRC
Future Research Leaders Fellowship, for which he is
currently based at the University of East London He is
also a visiting scientist at Cambridge University, as part
of the Baby-LINC lab.
Sam’s research examines how stress affects
concentration and learning capacities during childhood.
He works with children being raised in low socio-econoic
status backgrounds, as well as children in early stages
of developing conditions such as Autism Spectrum
disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
He has active research collaborations in London
(Birkbeck, Institute of Psychiatry), Cambridge (CBU),
the Netherlands, the US and Canada, and has received
research funding from the MRC, ESRC, NIHR, MQcharity, Nuffield Foundation, Wellcome Trust (as part
of ISSF scheme) and others.
In addition, Sam is very active in the public
communication of science. He is one of the scientists
featured in the multi-award-winning Channel 4 series
The Secret Life of 4 & 5 Year Olds, for which he is
heavily involved in programme development and
appears regularly on-screen.
For more information please contact …
Hope&Glory PR
t: 020 3588 9710
e: [email protected]
Center Parcs Press Office
t: 01623 821 733
e: [email protected]