Too often these days, parents feel they have no choice but to pack their child's schedules with adult-supervised, adult-driven activities such as organized sports.
But, as a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes clear, such activities should not come at the expense of free and unstructured play, which is critical to healthy child development.
The overriding premise of the report is that "play (or some available free time in the case of older children and adolescents) is essential to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and youth."
Why is free, unstructured play so important? There are lots of reasons, says the AAP:
Editor's Note: Recent research [1] at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago suggests another benefit of free, unstructured play: that children who spend more time in free, unstructured play suffer significantly fewer overuse injuries.
Since every child is different, the challenge for parents, says the AAP, is to strike a balance that allows their children to reach their potential without pushing them beyond their personal comfort limits, while allowing them personal free playtime. The AAP says parents need to:
My advice, like that of the AAP, is that simply because our culture seems to increasingly devalue free time doesn't mean you should. Kids need to grow up comfortable with silence. Your intuition tells you how important free time is. It tells you not to interfere with a child's play unless someone is about to or is being hurt.
Have the courage to say no [4]. Be honest with yourself and your children. Instead of feeling guilty and worrying that if you don't do everything possible, don't go the extra mile, your kids will suffer, will be deprived, or will fall behind their peers, understand that sometimes the best thing a parent can do for a child is nothing. Children are not miniature adults - there will be plenty of time for them to be stressed and overworked when they actually are adults.
In short, don't forget to let your child be a child.
Source: Ginsburg KR, Committee on Communications, and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. Pediatrics. 2007; 119(1):182-191
Brooke de Lench is the Executive Director of MomsTEAM Institute, Founder and Publisher of MomsTEAM.com, author of Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports [5] (HarperCollins).
July 2011, Updated and revised April 11, 2014
Links:
[1] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/young-athletes-from-higher-income-families-more-likely-suffer-serious-overuse-injuries
[2] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/3242
[3] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/1215
[4] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/1245
[5] http://www.amazon.com/Home-Team-Advantage-Critical-Mothers/dp/0060881631/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217774035&sr=8-1
[6] https://mail.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/early-specialization-in-youth-sports-supported-by-myths-and-competitive-culture-not-facts
[7] https://mail.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/survival-skills/balancing-sports-family/balancing-sports-and-family-is-often-a-
[8] https://mail.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/balancing-sports-and-family-learning-to-say-no
[9] https://mail.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/balancing-sports-and-family-13-tips-for-parents
[10] https://mail.momsteam.com/mvpa/youth-sports-dont-meet-kids-needs-physical-exercise-study-finds