free play

just read the importance of free play post in the research forum on this site. I read that link a few days ago and it's really good to see this being recognised. I do wonder if we get a bit too caught up in providing structured activities for our kids. We say we do it for them, but is it more to give them an edge in this competitive world (this might be one for the controversy and debate forum too eh?).

Well, even if I wanted to buy into the "let's maximise my son's potential and involve him in all sorts of things" vortex; I couldn't. Why? Because he, for better or for worse, won't let me. He just LOVES free play and seeks it whenever he can. He won't do soccor (but loves kicking the ball around), he won't do Little Athletics (but loves running, jumping and riding), he won't make something that u have to put together (but LOVES creating his own thing). Sometimes I think I'm limiting him by not being involved more in structured activities, but he is just too much a free spirit for that. And when this sort of research comes along it helps to feel better about just letting him be. So i hear u ginalol - our kids seem to seek free play whether we like it or not.

love to hear some conversation on this topic..........

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mbhadmin

  #2      

my kids are great at this, I tend to get slightly insane when they fight, but I'm learning that if I set the microwave timer for 2 to 5 mins, they're usually playing peacefully by the time it goes off, and because I know there's a time limit before I deal with it, I'm far less stressed during their tension period! Right now, 3 yr old is in the bath - more of an occupying thing, than a washing thing - and 6 yr old is standing in the bathroom making her giggle! I love times like this! I'm sitting in the room right next to them, listening to every sound, I know she's safe, and having fun, and she's enjoying being able to boss big sis around for a change! 6 yr old is running for bath toys we had outside for a water play session the other day.

See, I say "water play session" and it looks really cool, and structured, and almost as good as something she'd get at child care, right? THis is the reality: "Mummy, do you remember that place where there was water, and balls coming down the pipe that we could watch, and the ducks didn't fit the pipe, and i wore that shirt back to front?" It's at Questacon in Canberra, I'm not driving one hour, let alone 10+, for that! So out comes the old baby bath, on the craft table outside, and, just for one day, blow the water restrictions, I half fill the old baby bath, haul out all the bath toys, even the ones not in rotation right now, put her in gum boots, and off I go, leaving her to it. I can see her from the kitchen, so she's safe, and it's unstructured in a lot of ways, but it was her idea! I felt really good about me as a mum, almost as good as if I'd hand made play dough or something, yet I still hadn't spent huge amounts of time with her...

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Cookiemother2
"Bubble" born 2 July 2007.

  #3      

Free play or is it more independance...

I took my then 3.y.o son to baby gym - I spent most of my time chasing him around as he didn't want to do what they other's was doing!! No more gym for him!

We've done the swiming bit - didn't mind that - loved to play in the baby's pool afterwards. (No more swimming in winter - we have had repeated bouts of pneunomia every year from 2-5.)

I've just joined him up in the summer season of diamond ball (junior version of soft ball) - let's see how he goes.

He did really well as his schools 'cross country' - he loves running - I'll join him up to Little Athletics in winter. It may be more his thing.

My thoughts are he's an independant outspoken young man who knows what he likes - doesn't following the crowd and yes he prefers 'free play' to 'structured play'. It's a blessing (no peer pressure) and a curse (teacher calls him 'my arguementive friend').