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The Value of Free Play
Why Parents Need to Step Back and Just Observe Sometimes
By Rae Pica, Children's Physical Activity Specialist
Consider this: Try as we might, we just don't think like kids anymore. We're not going to find the same things – for example, seeing how many hops it takes to get across the yard – interesting or fun. Such ideas wouldn't even occur to us! But they do occur to children. And as they discover how many hops it takes to get across the yard, how long they can stand on one foot, or whether or not they're faster than siblings or the family dog, they're developing problem-solving capabilities and creative- and critical-thinking skills. Additionally, they're acquiring, practicing and improving their physical skills. And they're doing it in the best way possible for children: They're having fun!
It's the idea of "shaping" children's physical and intellectual skills, of course, that has parents worried about free play. It's difficult to see the value in it. How can children improve either their physical or mental skills just by playing on their own?
In today's overscheduled society, it seems we've forgotten that children can and do learn on their own, and they can do it through play. After all, we've progressed from one end of the spectrum to the other – from the days of carefree, unstructured play to carefully scheduling, orgnizing and managing children's every game. If we hadn't experienced the former ourselves, we might not believe such a lifestyle ever existed – that children really managed without constant adult intervention. But they did. We did.
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Re: The Value of Free Play by Selina on 10/10/2008 04:09PM
I am a current ECE student and I really enjoyed this article on the value of play. Since I have entered the program it has really changed the way I look at children playing. I feel this is a great article on why we should let children have lots of time to play.