Benefits of unstructured play

Five benefits of unstructured, open-ended play:

• Play helps boost social skills. Through undirected play, children learn how to work in groups,

share, negotiate, resolve conflicts and learn self-advocacy.

• Children learn to be more resilient. Play enhances confidence and fortitude, making it easier for children to face future challenges.

• Child-driven play develops leadership skills. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the

world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles.

• Nature play areas provide opportunities for open-ended, creative, free play in a natural setting. Many adults can recall playing in streams, building forts, climbing trees from their own childhoods. Overscheduled lives, technology and parental concerns about the safety of unsupervised play may limit these opportunities.

• Unstructured play keeps children active. Encouraging play increases physical activity - a crucial component in reducing childhood obesity.

Sources: Mary Rice, education coordinator for Spring Valley Nature Center; American Academy of Pediatrics