Why Your Kids Need More Free Play
By Genevieve Cunningham
Kids today are under so much pressure. We ask so much of them. We send them to school sooner, require them to sit still for hours on end, and schedule them with various practices and lessons from the time they're barely older than a toddler. While it's OK to ask your kids to learn and grow as people, it's still important to offer plenty of space for free play. You've probably heard this before, right? But why is it so important? If you want your kids to be as healthy and happy as possible, take a look at these reasons why free play should be a part of their life every day.
For Physical Health
Free play means that your kids can run, climb, skip, and jump. It means very few rules and lots of imagination. It means they actually get to use their muscles and learn new physical skills. Free play is a crucial part of developing a strong and capable body. Take your kids outside to a safe location, and let them go. You'll be surprised at how much they find to do, and equally as surprised at how quickly free play improves their physical health.
For Mental Health
Kids are more depressed than ever before. Could it be because they also have less free play than ever before? Free play is a stress reliever for kids. It's a time when they don't have to be on their absolute best behavior. It's when they can let loose with their friends and experiment and role play and dream big. This free time and stress relief contributes in such a big way to long-term mental health. And it gets them away from screens, which has been proven to be a detriment to mental well-being. Help balance your kids' lives and health by adding a bit of free play (along with school and activities and screens) into their busy lives.
Because Childhood is Short
In the grand scheme, childhood is such a short time. And once it's over, you move on to worries and bills and obligations and stress. Why do we rush kids to meet this difficult stage of life? Why not let kids be kids? There are only a few short years when kids will truly engage in and enjoy free play. If you care about their long-term health and wellness, make sure they're getting plenty of this play while they can.
If your kids aren't getting free play, it's time to make this a priority. It'll be good for them, good for you, and good for our future in general. Make space for them to play and learn at their own pace. Kids will benefit from this approach, and you may be setting them up for better mental and physical health for their future.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Winter Springs, Fla.