Children are spending an     1     (increase) amount of time indoors.     2     (compare) to their grandparents who would have spent most of their free time exploring the world outside their front doors, kids these days are more likely to     3     (find) at home. Computer games, television and tablets have replaced stick throwing, tree climbing and hole building as children spend more time indoors.

    4     (thank) to parental fear and a reduction in green spaces, the time     5     is spent outdoors tends to be parent-led nowadays. Parent-led play is very     6     (difference) from unstructured play and does not offer the same benefits.

Both     7     (be) important for children’s growth, but many families are finding less time for unstructured play. As homework, clubs and groups and screens are competing for our kids’ time, unstructured fun is left out in the cold.

Scientists have even created the term “Nature Deficit Disorder” due to the wealth of health problems that can develop from spending too much time indoors.

Unstructured play is just     8     important as outdoor play for child     9     (develop). It offers social, mental and physical benefits, as well as just being     10     fun way to kill time.