The importance of children being allowed to engage in free unstructured play time is often overlooked in our busy and over-scheduled lives. In response to the obesity epidemic we are facing there is a push for exercise and increased activity in children but the authors of this research paper felt that changing the focus of the terminology to play would be more effective and beneficial.

Pushing structured exercise or team sports can put some parents off who do not engage in those activities themselves and just telling a parent to increase activity levels can be misleading. A child that interrupts a parent while they are trying to work on something or that runs from task to task may be labeled as over active, when they are just expressing normal behavior. Changing the terms and simply saying children need more time to play can help avoid these pitfalls. Unstructured play is also better for a developing child’s brain. Young children have different needs. Watch a child play without boundaries and rules and they typically run around in short bursts of activity followed by frequent rest breaks and move from game to game without focusing on one task for too long. The goals of increased physical activity should focus on three A’s: Attention (cognitive), Affiliation (social), and Affect (emotional) goals as opposed to the two F’s Fitness and Fatness that are the typical focus. Here is how free play enriches the three A’s.

Attention: A study of 500 Preschool teachers and 800 parents found that 90% of the teachers and 86% of the parents felt that kids who were physically active were able to pay attention and learn better. Playing outdoors encourages free play and gross motor movement as there are no rules or confinement which helps burn off excess energy better. The decrease in structure also promotes decision making, problem solving, and creative thinking. These tasks are often referred to as executive functioning, a higher level skill which integrates planning and organization. All activities that help children focus and work more productively in the classroom and build important life skills.

Affiliation: Free play forces kids to solve social problems and work together. Deciding what to play, who plays what roles, when to stop, and what are the rules are all decided by them. This is teaching more vital life skills about working together that they will use forever. Solving these social issues also fosters empathy, an understanding of one’s own feelings and the feelings of others.

Affect: Ask any parent what they want for their child and invariably for them to be happy will come up. It is well established in the literature that exercise helps adults suffering from depression and that those who are physically active are protected against developing depression. The same can apply to children. The stresses they experience in their daily lives should not be minimized. To them a hole in their favorite ball really is a stressful event. Gross motor activity and free play helps the body relive this daily stress and it’s even better if the activity is done outdoors as the sun exposure helps mood too. Ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) affecting mood of people in winter in colder climates where they don’t get enough outdoor sun exposure?

So playing outside requires no equipment and no planning, benefits brain development, social and emotional well being and mood. Why are you still in here reading this? Go out and play!

Arch Pediatric Adolesc Med 2005;159:46-50

By Dr Scott Szela