A 1998 Roper youth poll asked youngsters ages six to seventeen what they liked to do in their spare time. Three of five (60%) of the respondents chose hanging out and playing with friends as their favorite way to spend free time. More than half (53%) favored playing sports and participating in outdoor activities. This active play was the first choice of eight- to seventeen-year-old boys and ranked second for boys six to seven years of age and girls ages eight to twelve. The third most popular free-time activities for young people were the ones they did in their rooms, including solitary pursuits such as watching videos or playing video games and social activities such as talking on the phone. More girls (44%) than boys (30%) identified these activities as favorites.
Young children liked games of make-believe. One-third of six- to seven-year-olds (31% of boys and 37% of girls) liked to don costumes and pretend to be superheroes and heroines. Although all children like make-believe games, even at young ages, favorite play activities often varied by gender. Young boys six to seven years of age (44%) were twice as likely as girls the same age (22%) to
FIGURE 9.1
TABLE 9.3
| Family television rules for children 3–17 years old, by selected characteristics, 1994–2000 | |||||||||
| (Numbers in thousands) | |||||||||
| Family television rules | |||||||||
| Number of children | Percent with at least one television rule | Percent with three types of television rules | |||||||
| Characteristics | 3 to 5 years | 6 to 11 years | 12 to 17 years | 3 to 5 years | 6 to 11 years | 12 to 17 years | 3 to 5 years | 6 to 11 years | 12 to 17 years |
| 1Married includes married, spouse present and married, spouse absent (excluding separated). | |||||||||
| 2For families with income reported. | |||||||||
| 3Based on those children for whom valid answers were reported (no allocation for nonresponse). | |||||||||
| SOURCE: Terry A. Lugaila, "Table 5. Family Television Rules for Children 3 to 17 Years Old by Selected Characteristics: 1994 to 2000," in A Child's Day: 2000 (Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being), Current Population Reports, P70–89, U.S. Census Bureau, August 2003, http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p70-89.pdf (accessed September 16, 2004) | |||||||||
| Total children, 2000 | 11,780 | 24,581 | 23,697 | 89.9 | 92.0 | 72.6 | 64.4 | 69.0 | 41.7 |
| Sex of child | |||||||||
| Female | 5,808 | 11,998 | 11,526 | 89.0 | 91.8 | 71.5 | 63.3 | 69.2 | 40.9 |
| Male | 5,971 | 12,583 | 12,171 | 90.7 | 92.3 | 73.6 | 65.5 | 68.7 | 42.5 |
| Race and ethnicity of child | |||||||||
| White | 9,420 | 19,340 | 18,678 | 90.3 | 92.8 | 73.5 | 63.9 | 68.8 | 41.1 |
| Non-Hispanic | 7,631 | 15,080 | 15,301 | 91.8 | 93.9 | 74.2 | 64.0 | 68.5 | 40.3 |
| Black | 1,813 | 4,061 | 3,745 | 88.3 | 89.5 | 69.6 | 68.3 | 69.9 | 45.6 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 391 | 846 | 834 | 86.2 | 88.9 | 70.2 | 61.3 | 69.8 | 44.8 |
| Hispanic (of any race) | 1,928 | 4,520 | 3,683 | 83.7 | 89.1 | 69.6 | 64.2 | 70.3 | 44.3 |
| Marital status of parent | |||||||||
| Married1 | 8,700 | 17,858 | 16,787 | 91.0 | 92.8 | 75.3 | 66.2 | 70.5 | 43.8 |
| Separated, divorced, widowed | 1,233 | 4,047 | 5,431 | 89.9 | 90.9 | 65.3 | 63.2 | 68.1 | 34.5 |
| Never married | 1,846 | 2,676 | 1,480 | 84.4 | 88.4 | 68.5 | 56.9 | 59.9 | 44.2 |
| Parent's educational level | |||||||||
| High school or less | 5,393 | 11,990 | 11,665 | 86.2 | 89.6 | 70.2 | 60.5 | 66.8 | 40.0 |
| Some college | 2,083 | 4,385 | 4,110 | 92.4 | 94.1 | 73.9 | 64.2 | 69.5 | 44.0 |
| Vocational or associate degree | 1,399 | 3,236 | 3,420 | 92.2 | 92.7 | 75.6 | 63.0 | 68.0 | 41.5 |
| Bachelor's degree | 2,180 | 3,784 | 3,063 | 92.9 | 95.3 | 76.4 | 72.0 | 73.3 | 43.9 |
| Advanced degree | 725 | 1,186 | 1,440 | 96.6 | 97.1 | 72.6 | 74.0 | 77.5 | 45.0 |
| Poverty status2 | |||||||||
| Below poverty level | 2,006 | 4,379 | 3,476 | 84.5 | 87.4 | 71.9 | 59.8 | 66.0 | 44.4 |
| On or above poverty level | 9,520 | 19,663 | 19,861 | 90.6 | 93.0 | 72.7 | 65.1 | 69.5 | 41.3 |
| 100 to 199 percent of poverty | 2,968 | 5,956 | 5,353 | 88.0 | 89.4 | 71.3 | 64.7 | 68.0 | 41.5 |
| 200 percent of poverty or higher | 6,552 | 13,707 | 14,508 | 91.7 | 94.6 | 73.2 | 65.3 | 70.1 | 41.2 |
| Total children, 1998 | 12,088 | 24,095 | 23,345 | 89.4 | 93.3 | 75.3 | 61.6 | 65.2 | 41.0 |
| Total children, 19943 | 9,576 | 19,472 | 17,683 | 91.3 | 94.7 | 79.2 | 54.0 | 60.3 | 40.2 |
FIGURE 9.2
construct objects with Lego blocks or to make models. Among eight- to twelve-year-olds, girls were more interested than boys in arts (music, crafts, dance, and theater), fashion, and cooking. Boys at this age were more interested in watching and playing sports and in war and military history. Both girls' and boys' levels of interest in music and fashion rose when they became teenagers, but girls' interest was higher at all ages.
Play Trends
The ISR report Changes in American Children's Time found that the proportion of discretionary time three- to twelve-year-olds spent on different activities each week has changed significantly since 1981. Changes in children's use of free time varied by age group. For three- to five-year olds, significant increases were reported in the percentage of discretionary time spent in sports participation (up 173%), reading (up 190%), outdoor activities (up 185%), and art activities (up 157%). Significant decreases were reported for this age group in the amount of discretionary time spent playing (down 33%), attending church (down 58%), and participating in youth groups (down 57%).
For six- to eight-year-olds, there were significant increases in the amount of discretionary time spent shopping (up 168%), studying (up 146%), participating in art activities (up 114%), and pursuing hobbies (up 33%). Significant decreases occurred in discretionary time spent watching television (down 19%), playing (down 25%), playing sports (down 13%), doing chores (down 25%), visiting (down 24%), attending church (down 22%), and talking with family members (down 55%).
For nine- to twelve-year-olds, there were significant increases in the amount of discretionary time spent on arts activities (up 145%), pursuing hobbies (up 133%), playing sports (up 35%), shopping (up 23%), playing (up 20%), and reading (up 17%). Significant decreases occurred in the amount of discretionary time spent watching television (down 32%), doing chores (down 30%), visiting (down 30%), attending church services (down 44%), talking with family members (down 49%), participating in outdoor activities (down 22%), and participating in youth groups (down 13%).
Younger Children's Favorite Sports
According to the National Sporting Goods Association, about 19.9 million children ages seven to eleven participated in sports activities in 2003. Some of the most popular sports among children in this age group were bicycle riding (8.5 million), in-line skating (5.9 million), basketball (6.3 million), soccer (4.7 million), and fishing (3.7 million). Participation of seven- to eleven-year-olds in many of even the most popular sports went down between 1993 and 2003, including bicycle riding (down 24.3%), fishing (down 26.8%), and playing baseball (down 16.7%). Participation of seven- to eleven-year-olds in other sports went way up in that period, including skateboarding (up 60.6%), skiing (up 71.7%), and snowboarding (up 295.2%).
Teens' Favorite Sports
In the 2002–03 school year, approximately four million boys and 2.9 million girls participated in high school athletic programs, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. The most popular sports among boys in terms of number of participants were football, basketball, track and field, baseball, and soccer. Girls' top sports in terms of number of participants were basketball, track and field, volleyball, softball (fast pitch), and soccer. The 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 51% of high school girls and 64% of high school boys played on at least one sports team.
The National Sporting Goods Association reported that 24.7 million children twelve through seventeen participated in sports activities in 2003. Some of the most favored activities among adolescents in this age group were basketball (7.9 million), bicycle riding (6.5 million), in-line skating (3.7 million), fishing (4.1 million), and baseball (4.1 million). Sports that saw substantial gains in participation of twelve- to seventeen-year-olds from 1993 to 2003 included golf (up 35.9%), skateboarding (up 69.1%), and snowboarding (up 184.6%).
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