[EBKatie]

Do your kids only play in organised sports? Or do they also spend time having open-ended, free play?

Such as "Playing with blocks, a Barbie, an action figure, a toy car or teddy ... Painting or drawing on a blank piece of paper, making something out of recycled rubbish, freely running, skipping, jumping, climbing, building and wrestling is all free play."

Or do they not have time for this kind of creative play?

[RatbagBob]

DD has loads of unstructured play. I think it's incredibly important.

Just last weekend, she was involved in a detailed game centred on her new boots, multiple packets of jelly, a couple of tins of baked beans and a lonely tin of salmon. She's also very happy playing families with the bottles of essence and food colouring (all tightly closed, might I add), her barbies and also getting out the craft box and drawing, making and colouring things.

[*mylittleprince*]

I know this is regarding kids age 5 - 8 years but DS is 2.6 years old and has at least 2 hours of unstructured play a day. We have at least 12 hours a day together while DH is at work and I don't think parents should have to entertain their children all day. We go out once or twice a day to park/library/shops/play centre/playdate which covers a few hours, then have some structured play (painting, craft, soccer, etc) and then DVD time (one a day) and unstructured play where DS can play which whatever he likes. He enjoys, is very imaginative and I'm always around if he wants to chat or show me something.

I'm expecting twins and suffering from all day sickness and DS has been brilliant at entertaining himself which has made life a bit easier.

[serenitylisten]

They have done or do both.

DD8 wants to play sport out of school, but she has told DH 'not until next year.'
I don't know why she has chosen next year, but that is just what she has chosen.
She loves playing anything and everything else.

[lsolaBella]

The only formal activities my children do are Swimming (which is a life skill IMHO) and DS1 likes to play Auskick on Saturday mornings during winter.

Rest of the week is unstructured play.

I love laying in bed on Sunday mornings with DH listening to DS1 and DS2 play. It can be very enlightening at times.

[dolcengabbana]

My DS10 has played structured sport since he requested to join the team when he was 6 (basketball), also tennis lessons for 6 months, cooking classes 10 months, and now AFL, he still is in the basketball league.

He plays on his own with lego, building things, making water bombs, building a go kart, building an engine thing he got for christmas. He reads, draws colours, researches, down loads basketball how to videos from you tube to study. Everyone is amazed at how grown up he acts, at restaurants sports games he isn't a child to be running around he focuses on the games or the movie at the cinema. I think both the structured and unstructured play he actively participates in is unvaluable at least with my son.

[Le-a]

My 14mo DS sure doesn't have any free time. If he's not doing intensive golf/cricket/tennis/schools or his sushi chef apprenticeship, then I'm giving him a jump start on his schooling and shoving flash cards in his face.

I took away all his toys, too. They were distracting him from his studies.



Not really OP. Are there really parents that don't allow "free play"? Isn't "free play" the same thing as play?
How can you stop a child from playing, do you have to break their little spirits first? To me, a child not having the time to explore and expand his/her imagination is an unbearably sad thought. I will go one step further and suggest it is close to child abuse.

I know I don't have a child in the age range of this forum yet, but when we get there (and now even), I will encourage my sons amazing imagination and do all I can to help him enjoy this most wonderful gift of childhood.

[paddyboo]

Pat already has unstructured play at 18 months, I don;t know what he is playing but it is very funny to watch him putting voices on for each of his shoes

[cinnabubble]

We practice benign neglect. They have to amuse themselves.

[Ianthe]

Pretty constantly. Two of my boys go to a church thing on Thu afternoons and they all go to a church thing on Friday afternoons but it is all rancho relaxo here. The four younger kids had a ball on the weekend getting all the soft toys out and playing all kinds of games together.