Third of primary school children ‘cannot ride a bike’, survey finds

A third of primary school children have never been taught how to ride a bike, according to new research.

And almost half have never climbed a tree or played with a frisbee, the Keep Britain Tidy survey found.

However, almost two thirds said they were most happy when exploring outside and three quarters would like to spend more time outdoors, the environmental charity said.

Only a fifth would rather be playing on digital devices than out in the open air, it said.

Less than 10% visit the park once a month, the survey showed, with parents giving a lack of time as the main reason.

On average, however, children in Britain visit outdoor spaces three times a week, with four out of five mums and dads saying they would like their children to spend more time outside.

A thousand parents of children aged 5-11 were interviewed, along with 1,000 children aged 5-11.

“Parks and green spaces are an essential part of childhood,” the charity’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, said.

“It’s great to see that, despite recent concerns about digital distractions, only 19% of children prefer playing on devices to exploring the great outdoors.

“I’m delighted that three quarters of our children actually want to spend more time outside, so I urge parents to help make that happen by frequenting their local green space.”

Here are the outdoor activities the survey found many children are not taking part in:

:: More than three quarters (77%) of children have never learnt to roller skate

:: Seven out of 10 (72%) have never played on a pogo stick

:: 72% have never played conkers

:: Two thirds (66%) have never gone hunting for insects

:: Six out of 10 (60%) have never flown a kite

:: Six out of 10 (60%) have never built a den

:: More than half (57%) have never made a daisy chain

:: Nearly half (49%) have never climbed a tree

:: 47% have never played frisbee

:: A third (34%) have never learnt to ride a bike

(c) Sky News 2018: Third of primary school children ‘cannot ride a bike’, survey finds