Why is Play so Important?

Adventures in Summer Play What hallmarks do you recall from your summers as a kid? For me, it was riding my bike, swimming in the public pool, playing various games of hide and seek, kick the can and capture the flag and hours of forcing my little sisters to be pupils in my imaginary classroom which was located in a shed outside. It's not at all news to anyone that children of this generation are playing outside far less than we did at their age. In fact, statistics indicate that children spend HALF as much time playing outside than their parents did at their age (an average of a little more than FOUR HOURS per WEEK). Compare that to the statistic that indicates that children 8-18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a DAY (more than 53 hours a week). (Kaiser Family Foundation). Oh my sweet Lord. This breaks my heart.

Combine the aforementioned paragraph with the neurotic tendency's of parenthood nowadays: where there is so much pressure to work, have a loving home life, and press our children into every possible athletic, social and academic opportunity known to man. Not to mention the fear mongering articles regarding the safety of our children (don't forget the sunscreen, but not TOO much sunscreen- it's probably a carcinogen; don't get too close to the road; my goodness, don't let them take their feet off the ground- they could FALL!; don't swing so high; don't leave the house, there are predators everywhere (actually the statistic on violent crimes against children and traffic related fatalities over all have actually gone down in recent years (Bureau of Justice, CDC.Gov Traffic Safety Facts), etc. etc. etc. You catch my drift. Dang, being a parent is SO EXHAUSTING.

**This is not an article promoting negligent parenting. Obviously supervise your children according to their developmental needs and to your comfort level as a parent**

My point is this: children NEED unstructured play. And a lot of it. Sure swimming lessons, team sports, yoga classes and specialized summer camps are great for social and motor development. I'm all for these and encourage my own kids to participate in these activities (more on that later), but nothing is quite so valuable for physical and mental health than unstructured play. Unstructured play is simply an opportunity for our kids to play without adult interference and guidance. Our toddlers and preschoolers need to be given opportunities for unstructured play more than they need to be valedictorian of their preschool room or the greatest concert pianist in the city before they can open their own snack containers. Play promotes brain development.

We all need to take a deep breath, relax a little and observe our children play on their own. Their brains will thank us! Oh, and while we're on the topic... teachers, please, please, please let's brainstorm some other consequences aside from losing recess for our students. I honestly get that it is just so hard to come up with alternative consequences and our hands are tied much of the time. But, this is really important. The kids who NEED play the most (for the reasons stated in this post and several more to follow in subsequent posts) are the ones losing this opportunity the most often. I promise, if you let them play and play often, you will see a return in work sustainability, attention, participation and even test scores (...quietly stepping off soapbox now 😁)

Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration. In the January 2005 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine , Burdette and Whitaker indicate that free play promotes intellectual and cognitive growth, emotional intelligence, and benefits social interactions. They describe how play involves problem solving which is one of the highest executive functions. ” Children plan, organize, sequence, and make decisions." The American Academy of Pediatrics (2008) indicates that 60 minutes of unstructured play per day is ESSENTIAL for children's physical and mental health. With the availability and prevalence of electronics, busy schedules, tv, video games and very tired and busy parents (trust me, I get it!), it's easy to fall into a routine that promotes technology in the place of genuine play (Full disclosure, my kids are watching Trolls on Netflix as I type this... just whatever, ok? We all have the need for some quiet time! Haha!). Anyway, children will RARELY choose play over electronics if given the option. It is our duty as parents who want our children's social, emotional and physical development to thrive, to intentionally create opportunities for play.

Sensory Inspired Applications:

1. Designate tech/media times, for example set a timer for an hour of TV time in the morning and again in the afternoon/evening (so you can have that time to get dinner prepped or cleaning done... whatever you need!). This will create boredom, which is GOOD, and provide the opportunity for unstructured play, problem solving, idea generation and creativity.

2. Suggest playing outside 1-2 times per day. Join them for a little while (because I don't know about your kids, but mine will not do anything unless I'm with them), then slowly fade back and let their creativity take over

3. Try to refrain from seeing the MESS or the fears or the inconvenience of the additional work. It will pay off in the long run in emotional, behavioral and physical development. Kids needs to take reasonable risks and they can't do that if we are hovering. (In an effort to be completely transparent- this is MY biggest area of struggle. I like tidiness and control- these obviously aren't the priority when children are given their own reigns over play time but there will always be time to clean later; our kids will only have developing "kid" brains for so long).

4. Limit the extracurriculars: Wow, isn't this one so hard? But it's really about identifying the strengths and passions of our kids and allowing them to pursue the activities that they enjoy, not about filling time with our own expectations and demands

5. Consider letting your child press YOUR comfort zone with their play: taking reasonable risks is healthy for their higher level problem solving skills. Every experience (especially the ones that didn't go as planned) are learning opportunities.

6. Have play dates: BUT REFRAIN from PLANNING AND ORGANZING. Let the kids lead and only step in when needed

7. Teach your school aged children games that they can later play and adapt with their friends, especially games that they can play outside such as: hide and seek, capture the flag, etc.

Like everything else, unstructured play can be done in moderation and however it fits best into your family's and your child's needs. There is certainly still space for and benefits of ORGANIZED play (such as family game night, organized sports, academic worksheet, etc.), but I'm hopeful that with the ideas and insight provided in this post, we can all walk alway with the goal to incorporate at least 60 minutes of each day to unstructured play opportunities.

#play #kids #children