As a parent and as a drama teacher, I have noticed how unscheduled play has taken a bit of a backseat. Children are expected to sit still for longer periods of time at school, and have shorter out-door playtime.
Then at home, families have very busy, and demanding schedules so parents often just let their children watch T.V. or play on iPads and the like. Now, I am by no means judging any parent, I am a parent myself and I can relate to the stress of trying to juggle work and family responsibilities. I know first hand that it isn’t always easy.
Over the weekend we went to a kids party that was held outdoors. This venue was surrounded by trees, large stretches of grass, a water play area, and loads of jungle gyms. Our children were running around, laughing, splashing in the water, climbing on the jungle gyms and having an absolute blast. It was actually so moving to see how alive they become when they could play endlessly without being forced to sit still, or be quiet. It was pure fun, pure imaginative and engaging fun!
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAYTIME
When we are mindful of letting people have moments where they can play creatively, we are actually encouraging the following :
1 . Cognitive development – Active playing allows the brain to rest, recharge, whilst at the same time developing problem solving skills, and it encourages better concentration.
2 . Social development – It encourages friendship with peers. It also encourages communication skills and team work, through to problem solving, as well as idea building with others.
3 . Physical development – Playing outdoors from running around, through to climbing, crawling, jumping during play strengthens their muscles and it keeps them fit.
4 . Creative development – Role playing allows children to imagine and create new characters along with fun fantasy worlds. Creative role-playing teaches them to emphasize with others, and it allows them to express themselves freely, which in turn encourages confidence and communication skills.
5 . Emotional development – It allows children to decompress, let frustrations out, and express themselves freely and emphasize with others via role-playing.
ENCOURAGE FREE PLAYTIME
Trust me when I say that I completely understand that sometimes we can’t always take our children outdoors. Maybe due to weather conditions, crazy work schedules or the location where you live.
However, we can create moments and space where we can encourage our children to play more creatively. This could mean taking a “less is more” approach, by having fewer toys, reading more books, painting, playing with play dough, through to dressing up in fun character costumes.
As a parent I know that we can’t do everything, but we can do something. If that means changing things up a bit by making and encouraging small changes that will have a positive impact on our little ones, then let’s do that. After all we are raising future world changers!