As many as one-third of parents think that playing with their children is boring, says a new study out of Great Britain. The study of 2,000 parents and 2,000 children aged 5 to 15 also revealed that a third of parents play video games with their kids instead of engaging in interactive play such as going to the playground or playing board games with them. But the great majority of kids -- 3/4 of the kids surveyed -- said that they'd prefer to play more interactive games with their parents.
So what does this all mean for parent-child play, and not just in the U.K. where the study was conducted? Parents everywhere are more busy these days, and with high-tech gadgets such as smart phones intruding in on family time, there is less downtime for parents and kids to just, well, be together.
The one thing I've made an effort to do this summer is to spend more time just being with my child. We've read a lot of great books, made meals together, spent time with family playing board games, and just hanging out. Yes, we did watch some kid movies and yes we did play some video games. But there was also a lot of playing with Legos and talking about books and using our imaginations.
If you can't remember the last time you spent a languid afternoon with your child, then think about this British survey. Your child may be one of the 75 percent of children who are wishing for some play time with you.