We instinctively know that kids need to play, so we overload them with toys and gadgets and even try to sneak in something educational.
But play is not dependent on toys or adult intervention. Play should be free and fun. Free play is child-directed and unstructured. We play for enjoyment or recreation, not for a serious or practical purpose.
But not just any leisure activity will do. Idly playing video games indoors do not reap the same benefits of unstructured and active play.
Play is so integral to human development that its absence leads to many developmental disorders in school age such as: attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), an inability to concentrate, decreased muscle strength, lack of balance and coordination, inflexibility, poor posture, decreased stamina, frailty, obesity, low immunity and constant sickness, allergies, aggressiveness, myopia, inability to regulate emotions, anxiety, lack of imagination, and an inability to play. (Angela Hanscom, Balanced and Barefoot, 2016)
The quality of our play determines the quality of our life.
“Lack of free play may not kill the physical body, as would lack of food, air, or water, but it kills the spirit and stunts mental growth. Free play is the means by which children learn to make friends, overcome their fears, solve their own problems, and generally take control of their own lives. It is also the primary means by which children practice and acquire the physical and intellectual skills that are essential for success in the culture in which they are growing.” (Peter Gray, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, 2013)
Famed child development psychologist Jean Piaget asserts that play is part of a child’s personality that it begins at birth. He theorized that play evolves according to a child’s different developmental stages. Play is the foundation for intellectual, physical, emotional, psychological, and social growth. So how we play as a child likely forms our adult personality in later life (Dorothy Singer & Tracey Revenson, A Piaget Primer: How a Child Thinks, 1997)
Play’s benefits continue as children become adults.
We play to learn
Childhood educators know that infants and toddlers learn by manipulating objects and discovering its properties on their own. This heuristic approach allows the child to explore, understand, experiment, and solve problems independent of adult dictates. Piaget says that children construct their own knowledge from their own direct experiences. The same is true for adults.
The simple act of moving a toy car across a floor will teach a child to control his muscles and determine how hard to push, how often, and to see if the floor is level or sloping.
The information the child gathers independently stimulates imagination, wonder, and further investigation. The child derives meaning from engaging his mind and senses that he remembers what he learns longer than if facts were just fed to him by rote. The child who plays with a toy car knows that wheeled vehicles can move quickly across a flat surface.
Unstructured play also sharpens a child’s observation as he handles different materials.
“Take, for example, a beach: it is filled with loose parts—rocks, shells, beach, glass, plants, feathers. When children play in such a setting, they can move around, making use of any or all of the found objects, devising spaces and structures that can entertain them for hours.” (Lisa Daly & Miriam Beloglovsky, Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children, 2015)
Loose parts are best because they don’t have a sole purpose or limited use and a child can turn them into anything he desires as he plays. For instance, a stick can be a weapon, a microphone, a flashlight, a cane, or a baton.
“Loose parts are the tools of scientists, engineers, artists, and architects. An early childhood environment filled with loose parts is a laboratory that supports a young child’s drive to invent and discover, a catalyst for rich problem solving.” (Lisa Daly & Miriam Beloglovsky, Loose Parts 2: Inspiring Play with Infants and Toddlers, 2016)
Regularly playing with various open-ended objects in a variety of ways hones our senses. This collection of data is sent to the brain to be integrated and organized. The more information is sent, the richer the database and the deeper the learning. Thus, it is important to have many regular sensory experiences whether from movement, experiences, new things, and nature. (Hanscom)
Aside from the five senses of touch, sight, smell, hearing, and taste we need two more senses to navigate our environment successfully.
Called the sixth sense, proprioception is our ability to sense the movement and position of the different parts of our body in space without looking. This regulates the amount of force we use for simple tasks like peeling a boiled egg without crushing it, erasing a pencil mark without ripping the paper, and writing with a pen without boring holes.
Those with ADHD and sensory dysfunction cannot sense their own bodies, cannot regulate their force, are clumsy, and are more susceptible to falls and injuries. Proprioception is developed through a series of push and pulls against gravity like heavy lifting, putting down objects, and sweeping.
The vestibular sense involves the perception of our body in relation to its surroundings. It is our balance sense that allows our effortless movement against gravity. It is developed by spinning, hanging upside down, rolling downhill, and dancing. If undeveloped, it results in fidgeting, falls, aggression, and inattention. (Hanscom)
Do you want to play?
When a child controls his free play he exercises his ability to make decisions and soon learns confidence. Unstructured play with loose parts increases a child’s inclusiveness, risk-taking, problem-solving, concentration, and good behavior.
When children organize their own play, they create their own rules, learn empathy, feel accomplished from designing their own game and playing it, regulate their emotions by learning to take turns and share, follow rules, collaborate, negotiate, communicate, and resolve their disputes. These are all necessary social skills.
Even a simple game of catch involves an exercise in self-control. The child has to decide how much force to use to throw the ball, how far to move to catch it, how fast to run to retrieve it, how long to wait his turn, and to not be too upset when he fails to catch the ball or throw it back. If he wants someone to play with him, he needs to play nice, behave, and control his temper. He cannot be violent or throw a tantrum. Every game is a practice in self-regulation.
“Games provide a set of rules that govern how to behave under certain circumstances.” (David Elkind, PhD, The Power of Play, 2007)
More importantly, playing together allows us to understand each other, build teamwork, strengthen bonds, form friendships, and create happy memories.
Day. Play. We play all day.
Play has so many health benefits. It is a form of exercise, it strengthens the body especially the joints, builds stamina, maintains flexibility and balance, boosts the immune system, keeps the mind sharp, and relieves stress.
Psychologically, it allows our minds to focus that we forget everything else, lose track of time, and immerse ourselves in the moment. It is a form of meditation. Plus, we derive so much pleasure from play.
As children grow, they should be regularly active. Children from age 1 to 13 need at least five hours of active outdoor play. Teenagers need 3-4 hours a day. Our bodies are made to move all day, not sit still. We should take every opportunity to stay active and play. (Hanscom)
“Ideally, kids of all ages should get at least three hours of free play outdoors a day,” writes Hanscom.
Notice that the younger children are, the more they move. Kids always run when they are reminded to walk. They climb things in their path but they are told to get down. They frequently jump, hang, or swing but we stop them because it is dangerous. As they get older, they start to listen to our warnings and they learn to become idle. Worse, we sometimes structure their days that they have no more time to play freely.
“Nothing that we do, no amount of toys we buy or “quality time” or special training we give our children, can compensate for the freedom we take away. The things that children learn through their own initiatives, in free play, cannot be taught in other ways.” (Gray)