Canadian Tire encourages families to get out and play #WannaPlayChat

Things have changed a lot since I was a kid.  Back in the day (Ha! That makes me sound so ancient!), we used to play outside until it got dark out and our moms called us in for the evening.  We rode our bicycles with our friends, ran through the sprinkler, played ball or street hockey.  My brothers, cousins and their friends even built a skateboard ramp and they’d practice ollies, grinds, fakies, carves, etc.  We actually didn’t want to come in and wanted to play outside for as long as we were allowed to.

It seems to be the opposite with many children now.  I’m not saying that outdoor activities are lost, but I do see many more children spending lots of time on their tablets, game consoles, on the computer and in front of the TV. Outdoor time certainly is not what it once was.  I love that on Manitoulin Island, many children are involved in hockey, basketball, soccer and other sports and activities. Though many children participate in physical activities and organized sports, for a lot of kids there is more and more screen time and less active time.

Though Little One does enjoy her screen time, it’s important that she have activities that keep her busy and outdoors.  We also feel that there is an important place for pure, unstructured play in the lives of children.  She’s only six years old, so whether it be bouncing on the trampoline, or playing outside with our dogs, at least that’s keeping her active, busy, in the fresh air and having fun.

With the increase in sedentary hours, there is no doubt that there is an issue with the amount of inactive hours children (and adults) are receiving.  Canadian Tire is committed to changing this.

Canadian Tire has launched  a new initiative to encourage more play! Canadians will be encouraged to get outside and share photos or videos of how they play using the ‪#‎WannaPlay‬ hashtag!

Determined to not let Little One be one of the nine out of ten children in Canada who doesn’t get enough exercise each day, we decided to take part in the  #WannaPlay challenge.  Lucky for Little One, her grandfather is an incredible baseball coach. Grampy thrives on the challenge of teaching young athletes sills and discipline when it comes to sports.  Though before retirement, Grampy was a very busy businessman, he also took the time to coach baseball and helped run a baseball program where some of his athletes ended up getting baseball scholarships and attended college in the U.S.


Grampy is a great person to help teach Little One some baseball techniques like catching and throwing.  She loves spending time with her Grampy and she can learn a lot from him!

Want to know more about the campaign?  Join us for the #WannaPlayChat Twitter party!

Twitter Party to kick off ‪#wannaplay program from Canadian Tire. Twitter hastag is #wannaplaychat  http://twubs.com/wannaplaychatAbout

This summer Canadian Tire is rallying Canadians to rediscover play! Join the #WannaPlayChat Twitter Party and find out how to inspire Canadians to get active.