But First, Play… The Importance of Daily Unstructured Play Opportunities in Childhood

Written by: Emily Swogger, OTR, MS

At Therapy Center of Buda we feel strongly about outdoor free play and providing our kiddos with a safe outdoor play space. Why are we so passionate about play? Because a child’s main occupation is to play. Play is how they learn new information in the most efficient manner. Yet in a world where children can spend up to 1200 per year on average in front of a screen, play time is rapidly being replaced with screen time. Time spent outside for children, research has shown, can be as little as 7 minutes per day!  Time spent in play in general can be as low as 30 minutes per day. Play-based activities are being decreased for a variety of reasons. On the early education front, a societal emphasis on increasing test scores or meeting Common Core requirements has shifted the focus of early learning and preschool from social emotional skills to building math and reading skills. After-school the amount of play time is decreased due to lack of time to engage in play between longer work hours and the nightly routines of dinner, homework, and bath time. For some, lack of a safe place to play in neighborhood playgrounds and parks is also contributing factor to a decrease in outside play time.  

So, why is the loss of unstructured play so important?

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Unstructured play is an essential building block for healthy child development. It is from unstructured play that children learn how to develop interests and competencies, plan and carry out tasks, coordinate their bodies, negotiate turn-taking, interact and communicate with others, regulate their emotions, deal with everyday stressors, and experience joy. In the short-term we are limiting a child’s ability to self-regulate, think critically, be creative, express themselves in a positive manner, and develop self-confidence. In the long term we are setting our children up to be adults who cannot manage stress, problem solve, or solve conflicts.

What can we do introduce more free play into the lives of our children? Try incorporating the following strategies into your daily activities:

1. Increase the amount of time allotted to free play. 3 hours of unstructured play time daily is the recommended amount of play. Ideally 4-6 hours a day would be devoted to play.  Time spent playing at school can be included in the play time. Work play into daily tasks that need to be completed.  Take play breaks during homework tasks, put some cups or bowls in the tub during bath time, hop scotch back the hallway on the way to get dressed in the morning, dance while brushing teeth, or act out the story while reading.
2. Decrease the amount of time they spend in front of a screen. General recommendations are 30 minutes to – 1 hour of screen time. I would recommend less than that during the busy school week. Change I-pad or  T.V. time to board game time or free play time.
3. Let your children take the lead in free play. Dr. Yogman, a pediatrician and author of the book, "The Power of Play: A Pediatric Roll in Enhancing Development in Young Children,” states that child-led play and exploration builds a child’s ability to function effectively in our increasingly complex world. 
4. Provide your child with “child powered” toys. Think old school when buying toys. Electronic toys can only be played with in a limited number of ways while a doll or a box of blocks can be used in a variety of ways.
5. Allow your child to discover nature’s playground.  Allow children to play in mud puddles, climb trees, dance in the rain, or play eye-spy with things found in nature. Really the options are limitless.
6. Encourage your child’s teacher to use more play based learning.  The link included below is a great resource for teachers who want to include more play into the school day. The more play time they get at school the less playtime you have to try to make up for at home. https://www.learnersedge.com/blog/play-in-the-classroom

Additional resources on the importance of play:
https://www.patagonia.com/blog/2017/11/why-is-unstructured-play-crucial/
https://themilitarywifeandmom.com/why-kids-wont-listen/?fbclid=IwAR0pYxvbXxfsxpsI8MDQNis9SBx4doY-BIExf3HJSS6kZnJF_QI5JtDqbHQ
https://wehavekids.com/education/Preschoolers-Learn-Best-Through-play
https://www.edutopia.org/article/time-play-more-state-laws-require-recess?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
https://www.adn.com/opinions/2019/02/18/childrens-play-is-critical-for-healthy-development/?fbclid=IwAR1lfvQLkQOHKjUOg6UrdvtyWH9AU6s8Cu-dQV-b3ul9w3BfTFrHorEtKJ8
https://viewpoint.pointloma.edu/bringing-back-play-what-the-loss-of-play-means-for-our-children/?fbclid=IwAR3vaeRx0gYbGfxHD756dp7P44yZxMdFIYRoPhz-_9zXHrsHv4dJuOMOVAM
https://www.outdoortopia.org/blog/bringing-classroom-education-outside-in-our-schools?fbclid=IwAR13Apqx0jKA1G_K3YHlQV_8kBkcZOSwhN7noOU1HoJDJ80eRq1PhTq_DZk