The Importance Of Unstructured Play Time

Both our lives and the lives of our children seem much more regimented in these modern times. It seems we work ourselves to the bone to provide a life where our child is worked to the bone, all in hopes of giving them what we never had in life. But just as much now as in the past, it is crucial to give your child time to just play uninterrupted, without rules or plans—unstructured play time. And in a lot of ways, it is just what the doctor ordered.

Let's have a look at the importance of unstructured play time in your child's life.

1. Allows Them to Get to Know Themselves

Free play is the type of activity that gives a child time to get to know the world, and thus themselves. What looks like ordinary playing or poking around to you can be seen as their small experiments with reality—their attempt to get to understand the world around them. And because your child is in charge of the way they choose to spend their unstructured play time, they develop independence and confidence.

2. Intellectual Development

Many parents do not realize that playtime is also a time for intellectual, or cognitive, development. Even mundane activities that seem entirely physical, or trivial at best, force children to build new connections in their brain or work on hand-eye coordination. Creative outlet, meanwhile, has been shown to exercise a child's most important mental facilities and lead to excellence in academics.

3. Social Development

What about social skills? More often than not, children do not play alone—instead, they play with their siblings, friends, or other kids in the neighborhood. This gives them a chance to work on their social skills.

They learn to interact with other children, even in the face of diversity. In many imagination-based, or "pretend," games, this social development can become much more complex. Children will purposely put themselves in situations that mimic adult dramas and experiment with different ways to handle these scenarios.

4. Physical Health

Never underestimate the value free play time has for your child's physical health. In most cases, when a child is given a chance to run free, they will do exactly that—a lot of running. Healthy, active play is great for your child's muscles, hearts, and lungs.

5. The Gift of Happiness

Finally, never forget the most important part of play—having a great time. What parent doesn't love to hear their children laughing, a smile stretched across their face and not a care in the world? And one of the best things for their health is the type of hormones these situations release. So make sure your child gets plenty of time to just laugh and have fun.

You can still push your child to excel in other areas of their lives—school, sports, clubs—but always make sure you reserve time for them to just be a child as well. Setting aside blocks of time for unstructured play is an excellent way to do just that.


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