Why Children Need to Play – and Freely

Symbolic image: children playing · Photo: CC0

⏱ 55 sec read

Children who play look as if they are simply passing the time. In fact they are doing enormous developmental work. Developmental researchers agree: for children, play is not a luxury but a foundation of learning.

In play, children practise everything they need for life: they solve problems, negotiate rules, slip into roles, learn to share and to manage conflicts. Especially valuable is free play – the kind children invent themselves, without adult guidance, without a fixed goal.

Because in it they decide for themselves, try things out, fail and start again. That very thing strengthens independence, creativity and the ability to cope with setbacks. Even boredom has its purpose here: the best ideas often grow out of it.

Experts observe with concern that there is less and less time for this free play. Many children's days are packed with appointments, courses and screen time. What's missing is the unstructured time to simply get on with it.

The takeaway: children don't need constant activity and programme but also open space – time, room and permission to decide for themselves what to play. Here, less is often more.

Good-advice standard: verified information only. Based on publicly available developmental-psychology research.

Symbolic image · Photo: children playing, Amsterdam (Fons Heijnsbroek), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons