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It is through play that children first learn how to make decisions, solve problems, exert self control, and follow rules.Īs children direct their own free play and solve the problems that come up, they must exert control over themselves and must, at times, accept restrictions on their own behavior and follow the rules if they want to be accepted and successful in the game.Īs children negotiate both their physical and social environments through play, they can gain a sense of mastery over their world, Gray contends. In free play, children do what they want to do, and the learning and psychological growth that results are byproducts, not conscious goals of the activity."Ģ. Gray notes that: ".in school, children work for grades and praise and in adult-directed sports, they work for praise and trophies. Play gives children a chance to find and develop a connection to their own self-identified and self-guided interests.Īs they choose the activities that make up free play, kids learn to direct themselves and pursue and elaborate on their interests in a way that can sustain them throughout life. When children are in charge of their own play, it provides a foundation for their future mental health as older children and adults. As a result, kids' free play time has not been protected. It is not that anyone set out to do away with free play time. Preschools and kindergartens have become more academically-oriented and many schools have even eliminated recess. The mothers noted that they restricted their own children's outdoor play because of safety concerns, a fact echoed in other surveys where parents mentioned child predators, road traffic, and bullies as reasons for restricting their children's outdoor play.Īdding to the problem, Gray notes, is our increasing emphasis on schooling and on adult-directed activities. Eighty-five percent noted that their children played outdoors less frequently and for shorter periods of time than they had. In another study, mothers were asked to compare their own memories of their playtime, to their children's current schedules. The researchers found that, including computer play, children in 1997 spent only about eleven hours per week at play. They spent 18 percent more time at school, 145 percent more time doing school work, and 168 percent more time shopping with parents. The researchers found that compared to 1981, children in 1997 spent less time in play and had less free time. "It is hard to find groups of children outdoors at all, and, if you do find them, they are likely to be wearing uniforms and following the directions of coaches while their parents dutifully watch and cheer." He cites a study which assessed the way 6- to 8-year-olds spent their time in 1981 and again in 1997. Parents who hover over and intrude on their children's play are a big part of the problem, according to Gray. WHO AND WHAT IS INTERFERING WITH CHILDREN'S PLAY? Gray's article is meant to serve as a wake-up call regarding the effects of lost play, and he believes that lack of childhood free play time is a huge loss that must be addressed for the sake of our children and society. It provides critical life experiences without which young children cannot develop into confident and competent adults. Gray describes this kind of unstructured, freely-chosen play as a testing ground for life. Gray defines "free play" as play a child undertakes him- or her-self and which is self-directed and an end in itself, rather than part of some organized activity. children's free play has been continually declining, at least partly because adults have exerted ever-increasing control over children's activities," says the author Peter Gray, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology (emeritus) at Boston College. MORE FROM THE DOCTOR: The Case for Organic Meat Heavy Drinking Affects Diet The Animal-Free DietĪn article in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Play details not only how much children's play time has declined, but how this lack of play affects emotional development, leading to the rise of anxiety, depression, and problems of attention and self control.
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