Unfettered Play

Leave kids alone long enough to their own imagination and they'll come up with the most interesting world of play.

My children often wander aimlessly after doing their schoolwork, asking me, "What is there to do?" I usually offer them a list of chores and they suddenly have at least four or five ideas of exciting prospects for games and fun. As parents, we are sometimes tempted to lay out our children's courses of activity. We set up and schedule their world so much that even their play is something that is ordered with crafts and parent-run games. Kids don't need a lot of toys and electronics to keep them occupied. Give them plenty of time to play with only their imagination and each other and watch them grow in other areas too. Nature and some household items are a few of my kids' favourite things.

The other day I was calling my two year-old son to come for lunch. He ignored my first couple of calls. I found him in his room, lining up his cars in very straight and organized rows (according to size, no less!). When he saw me enter the room he exclaimed in exasperation, "Mommy, I HAVE to play!" Yes, you do, Little Man. Yes, you do. :)

"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
George Bernard Shaw