Simon Says … keep the art of play alive (B.C. version)

ParticipACTION launches B.C. campaign to Bring Back Play

TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2012 /CNW/ - A recent survey commissioned by ParticipACTION found that more than half (50.4 per cent) of Canadian parents of school-aged kids played outdoor active games, such as hide and seek and tag, every day as a child; however, only 19 per cent of their children do now.  To help reverse the decline of play, ParticipACTION created a national social change marketing campaign called Bring Back Play to rally and inspire parents and caregivers to motivate children to move more. Thanks to ParticipACTION's first-ever provincial partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Health, the campaign is co-branded with Healthy Families BC in British Columbia, and will include the Bring Back Play Funmobile fall tour, visiting events, schools, neighbourhood parks and festivals to encourage kids to get out and move, while educating parents on the importance of play.

"Let's bring back play and give kids the unstructured active time that used to be part of every childhood," says Kelly Murumets, President and CEO of ParticipACTION, the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada.  "Let's offer them options besides computers and TV, and work with our neighbours to address safety concerns, so that our kids have the chance to run around freely, let loose and direct their own activities. They'll be happier, healthier and stronger for it!"

The 2012 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card found that 46 per cent of Canadian kids are getting three hours or less of active play per week, including weekends.  This is surprising, as play is not only an easy, accessible and affordable way to get children to meet the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, but it has the potential to improve a child's physical, emotional, social and cognitive well-being.

"We can create a happier, healthier British Columbia if we bring back play," says Minister of Finance Michael de Jong.  "Our kids need 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and we're working with ParticipACTION to support and encourage families to find easy ways to add movement to their lives."

ParticipACTION and Healthy Families BC want to make physical activity a vital and fulfilling part of everyday life, and play is a fun way to achieve this. The Bring Back Play campaign in British Columbia features children playing freely and having fun in various outdoor settings through:

• A co-branded 30-second commercial spot that will air from October 1 to March 31, 2014.
• Co-branded newspaper and digital banner ads.
• A website and social media platforms that provide advice and resources to parents and caregivers.
• The Bring Back Play Funmobile tour, bringing a truck full of fun games, activities and giveaways to parks, events and schools in 26 B.C. communities from October 9 through November, 2012. To find a tour stop near you, please visit www.participaction.com/bringbackplay

One unique element of the campaign is the Bring Back Play app - a web-based tool to help parents recall the games they fondly remember playing as a child, teach their children those games and submit more active games to share with other parents.  From timeless classics and modern favourites, to games from different cultural backgrounds, parents can peruse a list of active games to try with their children. The app was developed by ParticipACTION, in partnership with Active Healthy Kids Canada, and is optimized for mobile use, so that parents can access game ideas while outdoors with their children. To access the app, visit www.bringbackplay.ca - it is easy and fast, and with web browser access, no app store download is necessary.

Canadian parents' take on play

A recent survey, commissioned by ParticipACTION, of Canadian parents found that:

• Hide and seek, tag and skip rope were the three outdoor active games parents played the most as children.
• Almost half of parents (45.1 per cent) have not taught their children to play the outdoor active games they played as a child.  Reasons given for this were that their children play organized activities/sports instead (28.6 per cent), their children would rather watch television or play video games (19.3 per cent) and their children are just not interested (19 per cent).
• Among parents who have taught their children to play the outdoor active games they used to play, top reasons cited for doing so were having fun, spending time together and good health.

About ParticipACTION

ParticipACTION is the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada. Originally established in 1971, ParticipACTION was re-launched in 2007 to help prevent the looming inactivity crisis that faces Canada. As a national not-for-profit organization solely dedicated to inspiring and supporting healthy and active living for Canadians, it works with its partners, which include sport, physical activity, recreation organizations, government and corporate sponsors, to inspire and support Canadians to move more. ParticipACTION is generously supported by Sport Canada. For more information, visit www.participACTION.com.

About the survey

From September 21 to September 27, 2012, an online survey was conducted among 800 randomly selected Canadian adults who are parents of children aged four to 14 years old and who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error, which measures sampling variability, is +/- 3.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

Image with caption: "B.C. Minister of Finance Michael de Jong (front) teamed up with Kelly Murumets, President and CEO of ParticipACTION, and local children from Elsie Roy Elementary School (back) to celebrate the launch of ParticipACTION's Bring Back Play campaign, in partnership with Healthy Families BC. To rally and inspire parents and caregivers to motivate children to move more, the Bring Back Play Funmobile fall tour will visit 26 communities across B.C. offering physical activity games and tools for encouraging active play. Visit www.participaction.com/bringbackplay. (CNW Group/ParticipACTION)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121009_C5290_PHOTO_EN_19063.jpg

SOURCE: ParticipACTION

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Sasha Perrin
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]