If you happened to be born before the rise of technology, you could probably remember your young years playing outside until the sun went down. Playing outside was an important part of growing up, and even though the world has changed, playing with friends in an unstructured environment is still important today. Playing outside with your peers until it was almost dark, stopping by a friend’s house on your bike, throwing a ball in the alley, and running the streets until your mom called you home was the norm—and as children, it taught us much more than we realized at the moment.
Unfortunately, unstructured play is not typically the same today, and not only does it affect a child’s brain development, but it can also have a negative domino effect on the world from a developmental, social, emotional, and economic perspective.
Health, brain development, and overscheduling In an article titled, “Over-scheduling kids may be detrimental to their development,” by CBS News, study author Yuko Munakata states, “The more time kids had in less structured activities, the more self-directed they were and, also, the reverse was true. They were less able to use executive function the more time they spent participating in structured activities. Dr. in the same article Caroline Martinez stated, “Over-scheduling kids may be detrimental to their development.”
She states the executive function of the brain includes a broad range of thinking skills that include planning, problem-solving, making decisions, and regulating thoughts and actions.
When kids don’t have the chance to play on their own, they miss critical parts of child advancement, which can lead to mental illness, including depression and anxiety.
Also, a lack of play can contribute to poor physical health leading to obesity and diseases that come along with being sedentary.
When children play, they begin to draw from their past experiences. Whether those experiences are with adults they’ve learned from, or through prior activities with friends or siblings—this is how they begin to build memories and truly learn. Additionally, children benefit from free play because it gives them the opportunity to explore and discover while also developing their imagination, bringing out their inherent creativity, and sharpening their critical thinking abilities. Lack Of Play And How It Can Affect The World
You can see how these changes in society can affect the world as a whole when you take a step back and consider how much play means to one person.
Here are five ways free play contributes to the growth of entrepreneurship
Discovery
When young children play, they are discovering the world around them. They are also learning how things work and don’t work, as well as how to find and fix problems. “Discovery play is a major part of a child’s life,” states Budding Scholars. The other part is imaginative play. Discovery play allows children to learn about the world and how it works. Children learn best by doing, so discovery type of play is a natural fit for their development.”
Critical Thinking
Kids learn critical thinking skills when they play outside in a variety of settings, including conflict resolution and problem-solving. For example, when kids ride bikes in the summer, and one child wants to go one way, and your child does not want to go—at that moment, your child has to make a critical decision.
These small, daily activities provide young people with the chance to learn how to make essential decisions early in their lives.
Problem-Solving
When kids are little, they usually like to conduct in a great deal of imaginary play. Youth learn how to solve problems on their own and within their community when they play together. They also learn how to negotiate, coordinate, create leadership skills, and navigate different ways to solve an issue or concern. Problem-solving is critical to entrepreneurship.
Procedures And Processes
When kids play, they begin to develop habits and routines. When those habits come to the surface, students naturally come together and create processes that can improve whatever they may be working on at the time.
Young people are learning how to develop and implement processes and practices along the way, whether they are working on a project with friends, setting up a game at the park, or building something at preschool. This is a skill that is necessary for successful entrepreneurs.
Failure
When toddlers learn to walk, you will often see them fall and get right back up again without a thought. When kids play in an unstructured, nonjudgemental environment, they are learning about failure—falling down and getting up again no matter how many times it takes them.
For example, take a group of girls who are playing hopscotch. As they play many times, you can notice that some girls will lean toward competition, others will learn leadership skills, and many will learn that even if you don’t win hopscotch this time, there is always next time for another game.
Failure teaches kids life lessons way beyond childhood
If we, as parents, do not let our kids fail now, we will be setting them up for high-level levels of anxiety and depression when they become young adults. All children must learn that failure and success go hand-in-hand, and nobody wins immediately or rarely on the first try.
We must encourage our kids not only to fall, but to get up, reflect, shake it off, stand tall, and face the world proudly—regardless of how much time it takes to get there.
Moving Forward
All of the experiences that former generations learned in the formative years still hold true for success today.
Not only are these experiences critical for a healthy society, but they are priceless when it comes to life-long learning and especially entrepreneurship.
Every child still has the opportunity to develop the five skills listed above. To ensure we have a world that is filled with wonder, discovery, problem-solving, and the ability to foster failure, our kids must go through these compelling experiences.
It is our job as parents, to put our mobile phones down, take our kids out for some sunshine, tree climbing, and bike riding. The scrapes and bumps, and all of the small life experiences our kids need should never be taken for granted.
We need to take care of our kids if we want them to grow up to be mentally, physically, and socially responsible individuals.
