Play is essential to human development, contributing to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Unfortunately, time for play is shrinking. Increased demand for high test scores, combined with a decrease in public education funds has led to fewer programs like PE, band, art, dance, as well as shorter recess times. At the same time, parents report an increased perception of danger, leading to children being highly supervised even while playing or engaging in extracurricular activities. Between school, studying, and structured activities, kids have less and less time to simply play. How might this affect them as they grow into adults?

Why Play is Important

Play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child. Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. Free play time gives kids a chance to practice adult roles, face and conquer fears, and explore interpersonal relationships.

Some education and psychological experts think that the decrease in play and creative activities may be correlated to increased stress in young people, as well as less developed motor skills. Play is an important way for children to increase their body awareness and proprioception. The skills they develop in early years will carry into their adult lives, making them more likely to keep movement as part of their lives as they get older and keeping them healthier for longer.

Outdoor play gives children the necessary environment in which to practice integrating their sensory systems. Playing on tactile surfaces like grass, sand, or even a blacktop requires the child to see and feel the texture and then change their physical movements as a result. Integrating the sensory systems is foundational to neurological development in children. These kinds of outdoor activities also help develop core strength, which lays the groundwork for fine and gross motor skills, speech and language development.

Additionally, children’s cognitive capacity is enhanced by a clear-cut and significant change in activity. A change in instruction or class topic does not fall into this categorization, but some kind of physical break does. Even a formal structured physical education class may not offer the same benefit as free-play recess. Giving children (and adults, for that matter!) time to switch gears from cognitive to physical allows them to more effectively process the information they’ve taken in.

Unstructured Play

Allowing children to play in an unstructured environment (versus a supervised and structured activity such as a sports practice or instrument lesson) allows children and young people to learn self-direction. When adults manage free time, children tend to acquiesce to adult rules and concerns and lose some of the benefits play offers them, particularly in developing creativity, leadership, and group skills. Unstructured play helps kids develop social skills, as children must work together and collaborate to resolve issues, define rules, and learn self-advocacy. In turn, developing positive social interactions tends to lead toward higher academic performance.

Unstructured play with an adult caregiver is equally beneficial to developing that relationship. As an adult, allow yourself to take a backseat and allow the child to drive the activity, following their lead and participating without directing. Caregivers who have the opportunity to glimpse into their child’s world can learn to communicate more effectively with their children.

Unstructured play usually relies on having unscheduled time. In the current environment of increased stress around achievement, many parents and children find themselves with highly scheduled lives. Leaving some unscheduled free time is beneficial for both parents and kids, as some of the best interactions occur during downtime—just talking, preparing meals together, and working on a hobby or art project, or playing sports together. Of course, organizational activities have their place and have demonstrable benefits. As in most things, balance is key. Even if a child is benefiting from enrichment activities, they still need some free, unscheduled time for creative growth, self-reflection, and decompression.

How to Get Your Kids to Move More

• Encourage kids to move, and try new ways of moving, especially when they’re young. Being positive and encouraging will help give them the body confidence to keep moving as they get older.

• Build on what they learn. Just like an academic skill, physical skills can be built upon. Once your child learns the basics of balance, standing, walking, etc, show them ways to continue advancing what they know. For example, variations of balancing on one leg, skipping, bear crawling, crab-walking.

• Join them! Participate in playful movement with your child. This positive association will stick with them.

• Lead the way. Demonstrate an active life for your kids by taking them on hikes, walks, bike rides, and the like. Give yourself unstructured time to play, modeling a balanced life for your children.