Priceless Benefits of Child’s Play
by Melissa Blair
The whole culture of childhood is changing. As adults, we tend to focus on long-term success and achievement. This is necessary for career choice and longevity. That fast-tracking mentality that we have as adults, however, may be increasingly grabbing hold of our children.
As a result, activities for our little ones are becoming centered more around enrichment, skill development and schedules
and less about spontaneity and free time. Time for free play is becoming crowded by the demanding schedules of busy families.
What is free play, anyway? Technically, it is defined as behavior that is freely chosen, personally directed, and is performed for no reward.
In simpler terms, it is just good, old-fashioned playing.
Free play is considered so important that in 2006 the American Academy of Pediatrics submitted a report stating the need for play time in children. Some of the benefits listed include:
Healthy Development
It is through play that children learn to explore their environment, negotiate, share, and use their imaginations. A good portion of a child’s day is already set out for them based on the schedules of a busy family. In sports, music practice, school, and even Mother’s Day Out, a coach or teacher is directing activities, quite necessarily, according to the clock. Free play is a time where children can think outside the box, explore their actions on others and work through any problems that develop. It can be a confidence booster. Free play is also an excellent way to see what your child is interested in on their own.
Physical Health
Playing also gives children much-needed opportunities for exercise. As of 2010, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that one-third of children and adolescents are overweight. Statistics from 2013 show that childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last thirty years. One major contributing factor to this epidemic is the prevalence of video games. Preferred downtime activities for kids these days involve handheld devices. It’s the go-to thing between activities and then actually becomes the activity for free time. Playing, according to the definition, is movement. It usually involves physical activity and almost always involves giggles.
Mental Health
Children, like adults, need the downtime play gives. We don’t like being told what to do and where to go every second of the day. The second we get a break in our schedule, don’t we have our own free play? It makes our tough schedules bearable. Playing balances out the day, gives tired minds a break and allows for that thing humans need almost as much as oxygen: fun!
Academic Success
Children learn better when there is time for play in their school day. Classroom curriculum is obviously teacher-directed. While this is necessary for curriculum purposes in public schools, it leaves little room for kids to hone important personal skills. There is usually only one correct answer on that test. Free time built into their schedules allows for creativity and problem-solving, develops self-confidence, and increases engagement and over-all well-being. This will help set up a child to be a better student in the classroom.
Bonding with their Parents and Caregivers
Play gives opportunities to build stronger, more nurturing relationships. Our jobs as parents and caregivers, by nature, are kind of like traffic policemen. We direct the flow and get people where they need to go. If someone steps out of the line, for their safety or the safety of others, we have to blow the whistle on them. It’s just necessary in managing our families. Sometimes enjoying our kids gets lost in the schedule and the repeated rule-enforcements, doesn’t it? It is equally important for us to enjoy our children as it is for them to enjoy us. This is where connections are built that can get us through the tough times or the necessary daily grind.
While summer camps and extracurricular activities can be an tools in your child’s development, building free time for play into your family schedule can yield priceless benefits. That means that possibly one of the best things a parent can say to their children is the thing they most want to hear from us: Go play!
