Time. Freedom. Community

In the past, children had more time to play, to use their imaginations and to learn about their needs and interests in a self-directed way. Today most families don’t have the time, or are fearful of, allowing children to play freely in their neighborhoods. Academic demands, organized sports, safety concerns, and fear based parenting is causing stress to children and their families.

Let Children Play’s focus is on building a COMMUNITY of parents that values TIME and FREEDOM for children. Children need TIME to discover their own interests, to pursue ideas and to be bored. They need FREEDOM to find their own independence away from adults and to find their own voice amongst their peers.

In Free To Learn, a book written by the developmental psychologist Peter Gray, uses “informal” (child led) sports as an example of play and the benefits it provides children. He describes an “old-fashioned sandlot game of baseball.” Kids bike to the field from their houses and meet up at any field they can find. Kids bring equipment, then Gray writes, “the two reputably best players serve as captains, and they choose sides.” They set up the play with whatever materials they have, maybe they don’t have bases but they use a hat, a coat and they improvise with what they have available. No adult tells them where to stand, what the rules are, how to play or solve conflicts. This, Gray says, is actually play. “It is an activity chosen and directed by the players themselves and done for its own sake, not for some external reward.” This type of play is sorely lacking for many children, replaced by formal, adult-directed activities.

My childhood was dominated by a more“formal” (adult directed) activity. I was a competitive gymnast as a child in the 80’s and 90’s. At 7 years old I was spending 24 hours a week in the gym. When most kids my age were playing in the neighborhood afterschool, I was commuting 30 minutes to gymnastics. I did my homework and ate my dinner in the car. At the gym we had a rigorous workout each day. My entire life was structured and lead by an adult. My teammates and I certainly did not organize ourselves or set our own rules. We competed against each other to meet the extremely high expectations of our coaches.

According to Gray the informal (child led) game is better training for life. I agree. As Gray says, “Getting along with others is far more important than beating them. What matters in life is how you play the game, how much fun you have along the way, and how much joy you give to others.”

Eventually I gained the confidence to leave gymnastics because I had parents who listened and respected me. Without a strong COMMUNITY behind me and a trust felt from my parents, I was able to over come the pressure. After that experience I enjoyed the TIME and FREEDOM to play after school. I am certainly not against organized sports and other activities, but children do need a balance of structured and unstructured time. Right now, kids’ lives are dominated by adult directed activities and it’s creating a lot of stress. My experience as a child and background as an educator compels me to provide a COMMUNITY that will promote TIME and FREEDOM for children to play.

As a parent myself I signed up my children for adult directed activities. Eventually I noticed that it wasn’t my children who were so interested in the activity I was signing them up for, it was me! I wanted to hang around other parents. I was looking for a COMMUNITY. I also noticed my kids just wanted to play.

We will all be happier and healthier if we create a COMMUNITY centered around providing TIME and FREEDOM for children to play. It takes a village, so let’s start building that village together for ourselves and our children.