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Parents will do just about anything to make sure that their kids are happy and grow into healthy, successful adults. They make sure that they eat right, they put them into the best schools and shuttle them back and forth from every after school program and extracurricular activity that they can think of. And this leaves out very little time for your kids to simply unwind and play. For the past several decades, children have slowly started to lose out on the magic of unstructured evenings and afternoons. Parents don’t realize just how much kids learn during play time.
In fact, some of the best life lessons and skills like communication, strategizing and empathy are all learned when your child plays freely. Besides, anything is better than your little one staring at a screen for some source of entertainment. Their young minds must be free to be whimsical, imaginative and curious. So, if you find that your kids have become too lethargic or overworked to play, it’s time to cut back on a few activities and give them the space to experiment. Here are two important ways in which you can encourage your play deprived kids to get more creative and active!
1. Down Time Is Critical
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Nowadays, children realistically don’t have the time to engage in unstructured play. No one’s kids are out on the street riding bicycles and playing tag anymore. Especially not during a school day when any time they have after school goes towards doing homework, attending special lessons or taking part in extracurricular activities that parents think will benefit their child. So any down time they have is spent being exhausted, eating, resting and going to bed. None of these scenarios are conducive to spontaneous play. The school systems don’t help with creating downtime either. Recess in most schools is anywhere between 15 minutes to 45 minutes. And since most kids spend that time eating or trying to get in and out of a building, it rarely leaves out any time for play.
Instead of overwhelming your kids with a long itinerary for the week, filled with classes they might not even want to take in the first place, try to space these classes out. Sit down and come up with a schedule that works for your child. Allow them to pick 2 activities that they love and want to pursue and schedule one of those classes during the weekdays and one during the weekend. This way your child has time to keep up with their academics, volunteer at organizations they like and come home and play. You can even enforce a no electronic device policy during play time. This way your child will be forced to be bored and then find ways to keep themselves entertained. And before you know it they’ll be having the time of their lives.
2. Encourage Play Autonomy
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We all know that the world we live in encourages productivity over unfiltered free time, which is why most parents struggle to carve out some play time for their little ones. But if you’re wondering how you can change this and improve your child’s schedule, it doesn’t have to be complicated. One of the best things you can do to encourage your kids to stop being lethargic and play is to simply not get in their way. Encourage them by leaving them alone. Most parents find this very scary nowadays. But it doesn’t apply only to the outdoors. If your toddler wants to sit on the floor and play with their toys, just step away and don’t disturb them.
Of course, the best thing you can do is to allow your kids to play with their peers instead of telling them what to do. Let them negotiate and figure out how to resolve conflicts and work as a team. Let your child discover what they are good at and what roles in the group they naturally gravitate towards. Unsupervised playtime in a safe setting will also give your child some privacy which is something they will seek out as they get older. Allow your child to be autonomous with their friends. This doesn’t mean that they don’t need your permission to go places or do certain things. But don’t insert yourself into their friendship group. It’s okay to take a step back and let your kid take the lead.
Allowing your child to play what they want and how they want will ensure that they learn more about themselves, their peers and their environment. There are invaluable lessons in play that cannot be taught in any other setting. So the next time your child seems a little play deprived or overwhelmed with a busy schedule, help them make time to unwind and immerse themselves into a world of make belief.
Help Play-Deprived Kids Thrive With Creative Downtime
Watch now to discover two simple strategies—creating unstructured downtime and encouraging play autonomy—that empower your kids to unleash creativity and develop vital social skills through free play.
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