Over the years, many of us have forgotten about the fun we got from playing in the outdoors with our friends. Society has become more risk averse, parents have become more cautious about sending their children out to play and they in turn have become used to spending more time indoors watching tv or spending time playing computer games.

Just as it’s important that we play, talk and read to our children in the earliest years to help with their future development, it’s also important that we do what we can to encourage older children to experience the joys of playing outdoors.

Physical play contributes to children’s health and well-being and development. It also helps develop their imagination, creativity and social skills, while teaching them to assess and understand risk. If we wrap our children up in cotton wool, then we are denying them the opportunity to share the joys of play which we once had and potentially also holding them back.

This week I was delighted to be able to get out and about in Dornoch and Inverness to visit two projects which received funding from the Scottish Government’s Go Play Scheme, run by Inspiring Scotland, which is designed to help improve play opportunities for local children and address these kinds of problems. It was great to see children being helped to make the most of the great outdoors and also see the enjoyment on their faces.

Next week, I will be visiting North Lanarkshire to launch a DVD produced by the council which will also help its staff work with children to support the fun and adventure of outdoor play.

Adam Ingram, Minister for Children & the Early Years