Free play is freedom!

Every time I pick up my 5 year old child from school his first question would be, “ Whom are we meeting today mom? Shall we call my best friend home or meet my school friend at park?” And my 2 year old would always want to stop by at park for a little while at least, after dropping her big brother at school. I am sure every parent in this era go through this phase and wonder why would my child want to play all the time?

Few decades ago free play was more easy, as kids would just go out and play in their neighborhood and come back home. But now due to various safety reasons, except fenced backyard it is very hard to leave your little ones to be on their own. So what do we do? Just stay in hindsight and curse all phones & tablets? Well there is a better option. Go for active creation of free play for your kids. Child care is more professional work now. It needs to have an agenda and routine. Caregiver must actively schedule indoor or outdoor play dates. Grow your network so big that you get to meet someone everyday. There are lots of articles these days about free play. Many benefits including children get to learn more and develop social skills impressed me a lot. And in my own personal experience, children tend to listen more and are less destructive at home as they burned enough energy playing. But what struck me was the fact that free play is the only time that children exercise control over their lives as Peter Gray mentioned in a TED video called “The decline of play”. They choose what they want to do and that freedom gives them confidence and creativity leading to other major benefits in life.

I somehow feel that there is a reason behind every invention. We are blessed with ovens & crock pots, pressure washers and automated stuffs to save time or perhaps direct that time for more meaningful work. And child upbringing constitutes a major portion for every parent I believe.

So with summer break being around the corner, remember to have more and more playtime. Hit the park or beach, call all your buddies to join and enjoy some free play.