Play ain’t what it used to be.
We attach the word “play” to many activities—sports, video games, blackjack, Scrabble—the list is extensive. However, there is a particular kind of play that differs from all others, and it is declining precipitously. It’s called “unstructured play” or “free play.”
This variant of play is open-ended, creative, rarely goal-focused and usually not time-limited. Simply said, it’s “fly by the seat of your pants” play rather than organized, rule-driven and outcome-focused activity. Example? Playing in a sandbox versus a soccer game. In the former, what you do, how you do it, and when you do it are all in your hands. In the latter, your behavior remains closely governed by rules, referees, coaches, time, objectives, etc. Similar organizing principles and requirements manage what you do at the casino, in a video game, on the Monopoly board and the like.
If you’re a Baby Boomer, chances are free play dominated your childhood leisure time. For later generations, not so much, and, for kids today, very little. Research shows the average youngster today spends less than 10 minutes a day outside engaged in unstructured play. In my childhood, we measured this metric in hours, not minutes; often, lots of hours.
So, here’s the “When I was a boy” part of this column. A typical non-school day saw me out the door shortly after breakfast, weather be damned, and not returning for the duration until nightfall or later. Sure, there was lunch and supper, chores and such, but almost all available free time included long episodes of unstructured and unsupervised play. Swimming, ice skating, woodland adventures, swinging, cartwheels, sandbox play, creating toys using available resources (leaves, stones, feathers, old clothes and jewelry, etc.), snorkeling, roleplaying, make believe… the list goes on. The key element was making things up as one went along, spontaneity, creativity and imagination.
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So, what? Well, play is a primary learning mechanism for the developing brain. Interacting with the world, particularly the natural one, positively shapes the brain. Interacting with screens (average child use is 7 hours daily) also sculpts the brain, but far differently.
Research shows that unstructured play strengthens areas of a child’s brain involved with decision-making, planning, solving problems and regulating emotions. So, it teaches youngsters how to deal with unexpected developments, which are pretty common in the big bad world out there. Also, free play teaches creativity, stimulates imagination and encourages self-reliance.
You’ve probably seen videos of young animals playing together in the wild. In part, this is how they learn survival tactics, like stalking or escaping, but it also teaches them social skills; basically, how to get along with each other. Human children who play together in unstructured ways benefit from this socialization effect, learning how to negotiate, cooperate, get along, etc. In turn, studies show that a young child’s social skills are one of the best predictors of later academic success. Free group play provides an excellent arena for this type of skill acquisition.
What’s more, unstructured play often involves physical activity, something sorely lacking in electronic pursuits such as video games, watching TV, surfing the net, and so on. The alarming rise of obesity among increasingly younger children stems, in part, from the precipitous decline in free play.
Finally, this manner of play is, well… fun. Increasingly, children feel pressure from parents, teachers and coaches to excel, be their best, compete, win and all the rest. Free play, as the name suggests, affords them the freedom to just be, rather than do and have. Having fun is critical for mental well-being.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Time is a game played beautifully by children.”
Sadly, not so much anymore.
