Learning Through Free Play

Let the Kids Play!

How childhood play supports well-rounded adolescents and adults

I've been reflecting back on one of my (renewed) favorite books this season - Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist. She stresses the importance of child-driven play, a concept that has become less and less of a reality in our culture today:

"When children are left to their own devices, they experiment with their surroundings, take risks, make mistakes, and learn from the mistakes. They problem-solve, negotiate, imagine, and investigate. Children learn an immense amount of information through free play. Our children will be well served if we offer them the freedom to play on their own, to learn through making mistakes, and to come to their own conclusions about the world around them. This process will help them prepare for life while improving their cognitive, social-emotional, and physical skills at the same time."

This passage makes me reflect, again, on how my children's time outside of school is spent. In an effort to make them "well rounded" individuals by signing them up for sports and music and religion classes (all of which are organized and led by adults), do we start to take away their sense of ownership with the world?

I don't know the answer, but I'm reminded, again, of how important it is as a parent to keep coming back to this concept. Because it's clear to me, especially after observing groups of kids play freely during Mindful Mornings, that without adult interference in their choices, that something magical happens when kids have the freedom to make their own choices. When the pressure of a schedule is removed, they are given the opportunity to become more curious, more focused, more determined, and more aware of their external environment, and watching them embrace that freedom is truly something special.

If you're in the area of the CT Shoreline, we've got more "free-play" opportunities on the horizon! Find out more about our "No School Days Mindful Mornings (and Afternoons!)".