Why is unstructured play important for kids of all ages?
Unstructured play is play that does not involve any guidance from adults. Many parents (myself included) find it challenging to provide unstructured play time for their kids. Who wants to listen to repeated whines of boredom?
I think it’s also hard because many of us have absorbed the modern message that in order to be good parents, we should want to give our children every competitive edge in order to prepare them for success in adulthood. We are warned (in not so subtle ways) to not miss any crucial developmental windows.
So why make down time a priority?
1 – According to many experts, unstructured play is a major way children develop into competent people and has the potential to teach many important life lessons. Undirected play helps children learn how to cooperate with others, to share, to negotiate, to resolve minor conflicts independently, and to speak up for themselves. In short, free play encourages the social qualities that we all wish for our children: empathy, self-awareness, self-regulation, and flexibility.
2 – Unstructured play protects against the effects of pressure and stress. During unscheduled down time, children play at their own pace, they are not hurried, they are not being assessed or judged, and they are not being told what to do and how to do it.
During free play, children often have the opportunity to role play and practise scenarios that can be used later in life (but without real life consequences). It’s essentially a dress rehearsal for real life. Also, children feel more comfortable expressing their true self and their true feelings during play because they can hide behind the guise of ‘playing’. Play therefore provides an appropriate and easy outlet for the expression of feelings.
3 – Unstructured play often starts off as boredom but eventually encourages creativity and problem solving. When children are not being entertained, they eventually (probably after some whining at first) will find ways to amuse themselves – even if it means simply daydreaming. Left to their own devices, children will discover resources they didn’t know they had, come up with ideas they wouldn’t otherwise, and learn valuable lessons that can’t be taught.
Keep an eye out for next week’s post on how to fit in more unstructured play time into your busy schedule!
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You never know what they’ll come up with left to their own devices:/
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
