When I was little, my mom always used to say, “Only boring people get bored. Go find something interesting to do!” As a child in the 20th Century, idle time was plentiful. After completing my chores and my homework, the rest of the afternoon was mine to explore. Armed with a drawer of art supplies, a cabinet full of games and puzzles, a bike, neighborhood friends, and plenty of real-world items to use in my games of make believe, I was given the time and space to let my imagination soar, and I found that I was rarely bored. 

Maria Montessori, the Italian physician and educator who harnessed the value of play into the educational setting, said, “Play is the work of the child.” 

In the 21st Century, as digital tools prove more and more convenient for filling time, it can be difficult for parents to prioritize play. Often, parents feel pressured to do it all and, often, we unintentionally take away our children’s opportunities to relish in the opportunities that are born of boredom. 

We want our children to be well-rounded, so we aim to get our kids involved in art classes, sports, music lessons, reading classes, math classes, and coding classes. The list could go on and on, but there aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. These classes have value because they might spark a new interest or joy for your child, but it’s important to remember that these activities are very structured, and they can limit time for creative and unstructured play that is so valuable for a child’s development. When we carve out time for free, unstructured play for our children, we are doing their growth, creativity, and development a great service. 

Play is a vital component in a child’s healthy development. Play is the primary way in which children learn about and experience the world by building academic skills and vocabulary skills in unique ways. In addition to building math, science, reading, literacy, and language skills, play also helps to develop effective communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, and cooperation. Emotionally, play helps children to develop the capacity for emotional regulation as well as determine what they like and dislike as they grow. Play is not a break from learning, play IS learning! 

• Children move through many different stages of play as they grow. 
• They begin as babies and toddlers in an unoccupied stage of play. This is marked by the exploration of materials and builds the foundation for all other stages of play.
• Solitary play is when children entertain themselves without others involved, and onlooker play is when children observe others at play in order to learn the social rules and expectations of play. 
• Children move into parallel play when they’re ready to play next to other children, but they are not yet ready to interact.
• Associative, or peer play, is observed when children become more interested in the other player and begin practicing what they have learned in prior stages. 
• Lastly, children move into cooperative play and begin to adopt group goals, establish rules for play, and, often, find themselves in conflict with other players for the first time. It is in this stage that we can begin teaching emotional regulation, turn taking, and conflict resolution skills.

In a digital age, as children are constantly inundated with digital media, we can help them develop their curiosity and creativity by carving out true time to play and by celebrating boredom. The National Institutes of Health says that children ages 2-4 are getting, on average, 14-16 hours a week of screen time. When we factor in time in school, time for play, time for bedtime routines, extra-curriculars, and what is best for their developing brains, it should be closer to 1 hour per day or 7 hours per week. This number continues to grow as children get older, and when we allow children to have a screen or device to fill voids, we are denying our children the opportunity to learn what to do with boredom. They are provided less opportunities to build communication skills, think creatively, entertain themselves, build sustained focus, and expand their interests. So what can we do to engage our children in meaningful play? 

Children play in many different ways, and there are fun ways you can get involved or set them up to encourage their curiosity. Children enjoy: 

Physical Play to work on strength and coordination

• Have a dance party, build an obstacle course, or create a scavenger hunt
• Play balloon tennis or play with a ball outside
• Play Hide and Seek, Simon Says, or Hot or Cold games

Language Play to build their receptive and expressive language

• Narrate and give words to your child’s interactions with the world 
• Ask your child open-ended questions during play
• Play story telling games and take turns adding details

Exploratory Play to encourage an innate desire to learn

• Provide open-ended art supplies to create art crafts
• Play with sidewalk chalk or bubbles
• Go on a nature walk or build a garden

Constructive Play to build fine motor and engineering skills

• Build a fort or a city out of materials inside or outside
• Follow a recipe together to cook or bake

Fantasy Play to practice roles and relationships

• Set up a pretend restaurant, grocery store, or office
• Play with shadow puppets or paper dolls

Social Play to build cooperation, problem-solving, turn taking, and self-expression

• Play board games and card games 
• Play charades or Pictionary 

Mankind’s greatest achievements, inventions, works of art, hobbies, and wonder were born of time to truly play and explore. Help your child take their free time from passive to active and allow time to daydream, wander, and generate new ideas. What will you and your child play today?  

 

Resources you might enjoy:

Books: 

1. Play 2 Progress: Lead Your Child to Success Using the Power of Sensory Play by Allie Ticktin
2. The Importance of Being Little: What Young Children Really Need From Grownups by Erika Christakis
3. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

 

Online Resources and Blog Posts:

1. Play Street Museum: a Parent’s Guide to Engaging in Play: https://www.playstreetmuseum.com/blog/a-parents-guide-to-engaging-in-play
2. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Screen time and Children: https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx
3. What Does Too Much Screen Time do to Children’s Brains: https://healthmatters.nyp.org/what-does-too-much-screen-time-do-to-childrens-brains/
4. https://www.writersdigest.com/be-inspired/the-lost-art-of-boredom-how-screen-time-is-killing-our-kids-creativity
5. Ignite Your Child’s Inspiration - the Benefits of Boredom: https://www.qustodio.com/en/blog/how-tech-affects-childs-imagination/

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Emily Coulter serves as the Early Childhood Division Head and is a member of Regis' Administrative Team. She holds an M.Ed. in Literacy Education with a minor concentration in Math and Science Education from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Sociology from Rice University. Prior to joining the Pre-K4 teaching team at Regis in 2020, Emily spent 11 years in Pre-K3 and transitional kindergarten classrooms. Emily strives to cultivate an early childhood learning environment that fosters personal growth, curiosity, independence, and problem-solving. She is a native Houstonian and a graduate of Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart. Emily is also a proud parent of a Duchesne graduate, a Duchesne upper schooler, and a Regis middle schooler. She is an avid reader, loves board games, and enjoys practicing her sewing skills.