The Serious Work That Free Play Can Do
When children have space for unstructured play, they reap social, emotional and creative benefits. But in a city, it can be hard to find room for kid-friendly adventure.
A boy swings on a rope at an “adventure playground” in Wrexham, Wales. At this park, children are encouraged to experiment with unstructured free play using recycled materials like tires and pieces of lumber.
Photographer: Richard Baker/Corbis Historical via Getty Images
If you’ve got kids at home, you’ve probably spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to keep them occupied — and off their screens — through these gloriously lazy summer months. As a designer of toys, playgrounds and learning materials, I hear from parents around the world who struggle to engage their kids in the physical world. To distract them from the allure of video games and social media, and to fill their days with “productive fun,” some parents turn to planning out every minute of their children’s days. I understand this comes from good intentions, but just keeping them busy doesn’t do kids any favors.
The truth is, sometimes kids do best when adults get out of the way. This child-directed “free play” is open-ended: There is no particular outcome, no goal in mind. Think tinkering, dilly-dallying — just letting them play.