Do Your Children Get Enough Creative Play Time?

Enrichment programs and organized sports can play an important role in your child’s development; but don’t forget the value – and joy – of good, old-fashioned play time!nnIt’s getting harder and harder to get my children inside at the end of the day.nAs the weather gets warmer, they’re increasingly determined to stay outside, fooling around with their friends and playing flashlight tag in the backyard when darkness falls. It’s putting a bit of a strain on the homework schedules, and some nights, family dinner just doesn’t happen.n nBut you know what? I’m okay with that.n nAt some emotional level, it just plain feels good to see my children outside playing. By playing, I mean running around, chasing each other, making up games, hiding in the woods... doing the things that boys do when they are left unattended and undirected.n nWhen they are allowed to just be kids, just have fun and be with their friends.n nThere is something about it that reminds me of my own childhood, I suppose, which was much less structured than that of my children. I wasn’t going to sports practices or piano lessons. I was never in a science club, or after-school enrichment programs.n nI was never scheduled from dusk to dawn. And truth be told, my siblings and I would wander the neighborhood with a level of freedom that would scare the pants off me today, as a parent.n nYes, it was another world back then.n nGood or bad, that is what childhood feels like to me... or what childhood should feel like, I think. Unfettered and joyful.n nIt is how life should be, until we get weighed down by responsibilities and fears and expectations. The problem is, that weighing down seems to be happening at an earlier and earlier age these days.n nAnd so, it makes me feel good to see my children playing this way. And it makes them feel good too. It is intoxicating. Addictive. The more I let them out, the more they demand to be let out.n nMy younger son is particularly emphatic about the difference between organized physical activity (example: baseball practice) and play. He will come home after a grueling, sixty minute practice and demand his “outside” time.n nMom: “But you just spent an hour playing baseball. It’s time to do homework.”n nSon: “But that wasn’t playing. I haven’t had any outside time today.”n nMom (slightly mystified): “Baseball is outside.”n nSon: “Can I just go now??”n nMom: “Okay.”n nAnd so, as I struggle just a little bit to regain my balance with spring rolling in, I was inspired to do a bit of research. I set out to find the answer to these questions:n n1. What is play, anyway... and how is it different from baseball practice? And,n n2. Is play time really important to our children, or just a nostalgic memory for baby boomer parents?n nAs it turns out, play has become a bit of a hot topic in certain circles.n nFor people who research this type of thing, the term play requires clarification. (I suspect my son could have explained this to me, without the hours I’ve spent on Google.)n n“Unstructured play”; “child-directed play”; and “free-play” are all used to describe the concept of children being allowed to play on their own, without adult direction or pre-determined rules and activities. n nAccording to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is crucial to the healthy cognitive, physical, social and emotional development of our children.1 n nWhy is the no-parents, no-rules part important? Because playing in a creative, non-directed way challenges your child’s developing brain. n nJust think about the last time you played a board game with your child. How much attention did you put into ensuring they were learning and following the rules? Building any creative problem-solving skills in the process?n nHmm.n nImagine teaching your child the proper way to use a screwdriver. Now imagine giving your child and a couple of their friends a screwdriver to examine. After ten minutes, how many different uses for a screwdriver do you think they could come up with? Probably more than one, right?2n nCreative play also helps your child learn to self-regulate. What does that mean? Good self-regulators are able to control their emotions and behavior, resist impulses and exert self-control and discipline.3n nThis all sounds like pretty serious stuff. Almost makes play time sound like work. But here is the miracle: It isn’t; it’s fun.n nYour children don’t need to know that they are building conflict resolution skills when they have pretend pirate fights, or that they are releasing brain-draining stress while climbing trees.n nMaybe there is a bigger lesson to be learned here: Maybe the things that are best for us really are the easiest and most pleasant. What a brilliant design. Nature (or God) must be really smart.n nPerhaps we could all use a little more play time??n n nSources:n n1. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, Kenneth R., The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds, American Academy of Pediatrics.n n2. Wenner, Melinda, The Serious Need for Play, Scientific American.n n3. Spiegel, Alix, Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills, NPR.n nnRecommended Reading:nnLooking for ideas on how to be part of your child’s creative play time (and not get in the way?) Try Playful Parenting, by Lawrence J. Cohen.n For a historical perspective on the nature of play – and some fascinating insights into our own cultural development as parents – check out Children at Play: An American History, by Howard Chudacoff.