Simply Playing
Remember when we used to simply play? I mean when we were literally shooed out of the house, unencumbered by coaches and parents and schedules and given the freedom to make our own fun? Ahhh, fresh air. Can you feel the sun on your face or the rain or snow?
You're a kid again, remember? You like playing in inclement weather!
We know so many of today's families live in a harried, over-scheduled world where technology has become king. Hide-and-seek and Double Dutch have been replaced with smart phones and screen time. Now, more than ever we need to promote the value of getting outside and simply playing.
Call it unstructured playtime or kids on their own time. Either way, there is great value in letting our children take control of their free time. Maybe they'll coordinate a pick-up game of kickball, fly a kite, play hide-and-seek or make up their own unique game. They have the control to establish their own rules and negotiate their own relationships without interference from us adults. Of course, we should play with our kids. But when we do, let’s engage in play without taking over.
There is learning in unstructured play. It promotes positive attributes like imagination and cooperation. Case in point. My daughter recently broke her arm and was relegated to "quiet" activities on the playground. Her band of playmates invented a game (with rules too complicated for me to recall) in which it was established by the group that she didn't have to give chase. Instead of leaving her behind, the children found a way of including my daughter in the game while compensating for her inability to run. No bench-warming. Everyone played. No adult input required. Imagination and cooperation.
There is no doubt that participating in sports (the kind with uniforms and scheduled games and trophies) can offer many positive experiences, as well. If your child is on the soccer team, go get 'em, tiger! Just make time for some good old-fashioned PLAY on the side. After 20 minutes or an hour or an afternoon (that lucky kid!), she may come back sweaty, tired and most likely, completely satisfied.
Jennifer Ghannam is a former teacher, mother of twin daughters and owner of sticks and stones, a nature-inspired toy store whose mission is to provide children of all ages the tools to creatively explore their world and to embrace the simple wonders of unstructured play. To learn more, visit the store at 16 Seminary Avenue in Hopewell, NJ, call 609-466-6536 or go online at www.sticksandstonesshop.com.