We are overwhelmed with choices when it comes to activities for our kids. We’re told they have to do swimming lessons for safety, dance lessons for discipline, tennis for hand-eye coordination, soccer for teamwork and art classes for creativity. On top of that, their friends are doing gymnastics, Taekwondo, going to Spanish classes and learning piano…and they’re not even five. Given the pressure to enrol in everything, it’s easy to forget the importance of unstructured play – time for your kids to explore, get dirty and be free.
With screens and extracurricular activities taking up so much space in our kids’ lives, it’s more important than ever for them to get outside and play with sticks and dirt, climb a tree and face plant while practising cartwheels. Our challenge as parents is to avoid the urge to plan every hour of their day and give them the space and time they need for unstructured play.
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Playing in the backyard is unfortunately denied to many kids nowadays because of slack development laws. Houses take up most of the blocks, with little green space.