From PLAY Day to PAY Day

As a mother and advocate for creative, unstructured play, I have noticed that the most proclaimed benefits of unstructured play are of physical dimension (i.e. weight loss, cardiovascular health, muscle building, etc.). But there is so much more to be gained on a social and mental level from creative play, and these additional benefits are often overlooked.

Engaging in outdoor play (and creative play in general), allows children to experience a number of real-life, societal roles such as leader, follower, negotiator, decision maker, problem solver, and more. By learning the qualities and expectations of each at a young age, children naturally become more prepared for these roles as adults in the workplace.

When children grow up, they encounter basic problems like, “If I cut here will it fit here?” or “How can I stop the glue from dripping?” As they progress, children begin to seek solutions to more challenging problems. These series of “challenges” build upon each other as the child gets older, each one preparing them for the next, eventually transferring over into adulthood.

Through backyard play children are able to enact different roles and to learn valuable skills such as how to negotiate with their peers and to create new rules. Unstructured play also provides children with circumstances in which they have to solve spontaneous problems that arise. Possessing these skills is just as important (if not more so) than having “natural smarts” when it comes to achievement.

I believe that parents realize the value of unstructured and imaginative backyard play extends much further than its physical benefits. This type of play can offer a child something so unique and valuable—the tools to ensure a productive and bright future—and it would be a shame to pass that up!


-MB