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In an era dominated by iPads, structured play times and afterschool clubs, the simplicity of an unstructured play time is rapidly becoming rare to see. We all remember being kids, maybe no older than 6 or 7, playing on the front of the house with other neighbour kids with our bikes, scooters and several other toys, but now it’s becoming more common for kids to bury themselves into videos, YouTube and other means of entertainment.
This unstructured play time is a fundamental part of developing physical fitness, cognitive resilience and emotional intelligence. It’s teaching our kids real-life situations, how to process emotions and create real relationships. By intentionally stepping back from trying to get your child involved with every single active club and over-scheduling their ‘active’ and fun moments, this can raise kids who are inherently fit and want to be in both body and mind.
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The Problem With Structured Activities
While it’s imperative to point out that structure is a very healthy part of growing up, it can teach responsibility, commitment and several other positive characteristics and pairing that with healthy sporting activities is also a bonus because it introduces them to potential activities that school could never show them.
However, letting structured activities take over their whole active world can push them the other way. Removing any form of fun and excitement around something that they might have loved in the beginning.
When children are constantly directed and told how to ‘play’, they are missing out on developing a skill such as physical literacy, which includes characteristics such as motivation, confidence, and physical competence and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life.
Prioritize Time, Not Toys
The most effective tools for free play are time and space, not expensive equipment or toys. Kids, on the vast majority of the time, have more fun playing with a wrapper than an expensive toy. Whether it’s an hour or two over the weekend or a weeknight, have a spontaneous moment for play time.
Don’t fall for the screen trap when there are moments of boredom or a slight complaint. Encourage more imaginative play with the items you have in the house, so it could be building a fort, a den or simply crafting something out of leftover cardboard. Like more topically, it could be some Christmas decorations or easter, whatever is closest, it allows them to get in the spirit, but also show their physical and creative sides beyond physical.
Outdoors
While it’s becoming a lot more of a parents’ choice to send their kids to forest school because of their education and consistent interaction with the outdoor world, staying active and so forth, but I understand that too much of something might be a deterrent to make them prefer the indoors.
However, the power of being outside, especially when wrapped up properly, is so magical and fun for a child if they are not babied throughout all of their experiences. It’s allowing your kids to hurt themselves and fall over, obviously, within reason. Keeping a safe distance where you are guiding them and not being a bubble parent.
When parents constantly intervene, they are instilling a sense of fear when it’s unnecessary, but also can prevent them from building resilience and their ability to self-assess their physical limits.
Movement In Everyday Life
While naps and chilled Sundays are very welcome, and they are a nice treat to yourself and them on occasion if they are a chilled child. However, when you can encourage walking everywhere, ditching the car trip but also it’s a nice bit of outdoor time, but it keeps you both active and used to the mundane physical activity.
This can burn some of their energy, but also teaches them that this is a necessary and functional part of life. It can also come in other ways, such as asking them to carry bags, carry their own school bags, or help with certain physical activities, such as helping clean up around the house, but as a ‘fun’ activity. This could allow them to hoover, help wash up or do whatever they fancy, like help with cooking.
There are so many things that your kids want to get involved in early on because they mirror us, so you might aswell get their little hands helping with the chores before they realise it’s a mundane part of adulthood.
The Long-Term Fitness Payoff
By allowing children to direct their own play, we instil an intrinsic motivation for movement. When movement is associated with joy, freedom, and discovery, children are far more likely to maintain an active lifestyle as they transition into adolescence and adulthood. Reclaiming free play is ironically the most effective and long-term fitness strategy available. It teaches children how to listen to their bodies, how to adapt their physical environment and most importantly, being active and that being active is actually really fun. This foundation of physical competence and positive emotional association starts with us, and as parents, we need to encourage this as early as possible, without being pushy, but by inviting physical fitness and bringing their A Game if you will.
