Almost three quarters of primary school teachers expect their pupils to spend the impending summer holidays in front of tablets and TVs, according to Fit For Sport.

Having produced research earlier this year which found two thirds of children are ‘insufficiently active,’ the youth activity provider’s latest poll of more than 100 primary school teachers found 40 per cent believe children’s fitness levels actually decrease over the summer, as the majority of young people reject games outdoors in favour of computers, TVs and video games.

Despite the warm weather making summer arguably the easiest time of year to engage in physical activity, just 12 per cent of teachers believe that their pupils will fill most of their time playing outside with family or friends.

“All parents want their children to be fit and healthy, but often struggle to find ideas to tempt their children off their tablets and into the garden,” said Dean Horridge, founder and CEO of Fit For Sport.

“The best way to encourage children away from screens is making activities fun and getting all the family involved. It’s important to find a balance between screen time and being active and the summer is the perfect time to develop healthy habits to last a lifetime.”

Eager to offer an alternative to TVs and consoles, Fit For Sport has created a free guide and website to help inspire families to have an active summer. The site features a host of ideas and games for families to play together, as well as an Activity Challenge that helps parents to measure and track their children’s fitness and activity levels by taking part in short and simple tasks. To view the site, click here.

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