Pandemic forced families to move toward more unstructured physical activities

As children’s organizd sports were cancelled and screen time went up over the past two years, Western University's Child Health and Physical Activity Lab set out to find how the pandemic shifted family activity levels. The researchers found most of the kids missed their friends, coaches and tournaments, while parents missed organized sports because they bring a chance to socialize. Still, families found other ways to spend time together and to get outside. Researchers noticed that in parents and children, activities moved from structured to unstructured. Also, as pandemic restrictions lifted, families slowly went back to organized sports but they're also rethinking how much time they spend doing that. Parents (and especially families who didn't have outdoor space) frequently mentioned going outside instead of what they used to do. They also believe unstructured outdoor play, such as riding a bicycle, offered the same benefits of getting active.