New figures point to serious issues wth Irish kids’ motor skills

How did it get this bad?

A recent study indicates that Irish kids' motor skills may be severely lacking. Blame modern technology, helicopter parenting or laziness, but an article in the Independent found that "children as old as 12 are unable to run, jump, catch, or hit any type of sports ball due to inactivity." https://twitter.com/MolloyJoe/status/898484059076255744 The article also states that "one-third of Irish children cannot catch a ball with two hands... and their motor skills are now so poor that they are comparable to people in their 30s or older." Karl Henry of Operation Transformation spoke to our colleagues at JOE about the findings.

"It's frightening and the unfortunate reality of what an epidemic the nation is facing now while these children are in school. Wait when they finish school and the problems will be even worse. "Yet another reason to introduce national fitness testing each year in schools and set minimal targets for pupils to hit, giving schools the facilities to help the pupils hit those targets. "It's also a reason for families to get families fit because parents and schools have equal roles to play here."