Activities
Parents were asked about the Study child’s activities with family members during the previous week; who these activities were with and whether any of the activities were in a language other than English. Children were busy with many different types of activities (see Table 7), mostly playing indoors (which included board games or blocks), playing outdoors (such as walking or ball sports), activities involving music and going shopping. Playing computer games was a relatively infrequent activity (29 per cent). At least some of these activities (about 23 per cent) were in a language other than English.
Table 7: Study children’s activities during the previous week
| Activity |
No. |
% |
| Played indoors |
1,603 |
95.3 |
| Played music, sung, danced |
1,564 |
93.2 |
| Played outdoors |
1,567 |
93.1 |
| Took shopping |
1,546 |
91.9 |
| Read to them from a book |
1,286 |
76.8 |
| Drew pictures, craft |
1,182 |
70.4 |
| Went to playgrounda |
1,182 |
70.2 |
| Told a story |
1,131 |
67.4 |
| Did housework |
1,031 |
61.3 |
| Went swimminga |
787 |
46.8 |
| Played computer, playstation |
486 |
28.9 |
Note: More than one answer can be specified.
aasked of the previous month.
Activities were mostly done with the Study child’s mother; however, children also participated in these activities with their fathers, grandparents, siblings and extended family and friends. In particular, fathers were likely to take their child swimming (46 per cent of fathers participated in this activity), play outdoors (43 per cent) and play indoors (41 per cent).
Reading to children is important in the development of a child’s future literacy skills. About 77 per cent of Study children were read to in the previous week. Not surprisingly there was a relationship between the number of children’s books in the home and the likelihood of the Study child being read to in the previous week (see Figure 10). Having more than 30 children’s books in the home was most highly associated with parents reading to children.
Figure 10: Number of children’s books in the house by whether the Study child was read to in the previous week
Figure 10 description: This graph compares the number of who were read to in the previous week, with those who were not read to, by the number of children’s books in the house. The horizontal axis depicts the answer categories in terms of numbers of books in the house and the vertical axis depicts the percentage of Study children in this category.
No books: Read 3.58%, Did not read 25.96%
1 to 5 books: Read 12.75%, Did not read 22.62%
6 to 10 books: Read 14%, Did not read 14.65%
11 to 20 books: Read 14.7%, Did not read 12.08%
21 to 30 books: Read 11.12%, Did not read 5.14%
More than 30 books: Read 42.92%, Did not read 17.74%
When asked what the Study child (asked only of the Child cohort) usually did when he/she had a choice about how to spend free time, most parents (63 per cent) reported that their child preferred activities such as running, dancing or sport to quieter activities such as watching television, playing on a computer or drawing (15 per cent). Almost all (92 per cent) children enjoyed physical activity ‘a lot’. Only seven children (about 1 per cent) were reported to ‘dislike’ physical activity.
Box 5: What the parents say
How do Study children spend their time?
“When his dad and his brother are fixing stuff downstairs, like the mowers and bikes, he is right in there amongst it, with the tools, running off with his tools. Just follows them, and copies them. We take him to the library to get computer programs. Loves it. And the kids play area downstairs at the library—he goes mad, squealing, yelling. And he loves reading books, bringing the books home.”
“He loves to play football … he is just constantly football, football, football, football. If it’s not football it’s wrestling. And he loves his horses, goes to feed the horses with Poppy quite a bit. Just recently, one of his Poppy’s horses had a foal, so… he was getting all happy and laughing because it was trying to stand up and falling back down and then it got up and the legs were real jelly. He was like yeah carrying on because he’s full of energy as it is … he thought it was great.”
What do you enjoy doing with Study child?
“I love sitting down and drawing with her; love taking her to the park and playing outside and trying to make up bonding one on one time with her because she was taken away from me at birth and so I’m trying to spend as much time with her now.”
“Everything I do I love doing with her.”
“Playing, singing, take him for walk, reading a book to him, yarning.”
“Sitting down yarning, talking, telling him stories, taking him bush, taking him fishing.”
“Reading his books and playing outside with the ball and dancing to the Wiggles.”
What does Study child enjoy doing with you?
“Fight with me, kiss me, pull my hair and love me up.”
“Be everywhere I am, follow me around, help with cleaning, she likes it when I nurse her to sleep, just that togetherness she likes doing everything with me, she loves playing peek a boo—everyday.”
“The dishes, making beds, folding clothes.”
“Going for walks, sits on my shoulder when we go up town and out bush.”
“Listening to music, likes dancing, starting to learn how to write her name, talking about school.”
“Tormenting Nan, jumping on trampoline, ratting through drawers etc.”
Child care and early education
Early childhood education can assist with the development of cognitive and social skills for achievement at school and later in life (SCRGSP 2009). One of the six targets COAG has identified for closing the gap for Indigenous Australians is access to high quality early childhood education for all Indigenous four year olds (SCRGSP 2009).
Footprints in Time asked about attendance at pre-school, school, child care and playgroup. Over time it will be possible to compare outcomes for children who attended playgroup, child care and/or pre-school and those who did not.
In Wave 1, parents of Child cohort children were asked if the Study child attends pre-school, kindergarten or school. Of those who reported attending an early childhood education program (376 children), most (34 per cent) reported that their child attends a preschool program in a non-school based setting. Many, however, reported that their child attends pre-year one (or kindergarten) at a school (30 per cent) or pre-school in a school (29 per cent).
In terms of child care, 21 per cent of parents reported that their child attends a child care or day care facility. Only a small number (2 per cent) reported that their child attends family day care. Most parents (75 per cent) reported that the Study child does not attend any formal child care service.
Of the total sample, some of the parents (29 per cent) reported that the Study child had attended a playgroup, mother’s group or similar group in the past month. A slightly higher percentage of Child cohort children (32 per cent) had attended a playgroup when compared to children in the Baby cohort (26 per cent).
Parents were asked who else looks after the Study child if he or she cannot be there. Other caregiving was mostly provided by the child’s other parent (51 per cent). Grandparents (49 per cent) and other relatives (30 per cent) were also a large source of additional caregiving. Only 6 per cent of parents reported that the Study child is cared for by a parent living elsewhere