Quarter of parents 'too busy to play sport with kids'

London, September 9 (ANI): Parents' long working hours are blamed for kids' failure to do enough exercise.

A new research found that a quarter of parents are too busy with work to take their children to sports classes and training sessions.

Though 73 per cent of mums and dads said they understand the importance of sport to their children's development, 86 per cent would not spend any of their own time teaching their children the likes of football, cricket and tennis, the study by the British Toy and Hobby Association found.

Almost a third will instead rely on their child's PE lessons at school to give them their recommended hour of daily exercise, the Daily Mail reported.

Many parents claimed there are 'barriers' preventing their children from being as active as they would like them to be.

A quarter said they do not have 'accessible facilities' in their area, a third need more outdoor spaces and a quarter believe clubs are too expensive.

A similar number, 24 per cent, said they are simply too busy with work to exercise with their kids or to take them to classes.

Almost a third on the other hand said it is actually their children who are too busy with homework to take part in sport after school, the study of 1,000 parents found.

However, research for the association's Make Time to Play campaign found children are not necessarily more active during PE lessons.

Children were moderately or vigorously active for almost twice as long when given toys and cardboard boxes to play with than in the school PE lessons.

"The report shows there is an increased interest from children to be involved in sport," said Dr Amanda Gummer, a psychologist and play expert.

"However, parents' involvement and encouragement is key to keeping them interested and taking their inspiration to the next level.

"One of the best ways to achieve this is for parents to lead by example," she suggested. (ANI)