All kids play

All kids play. You can provide them with toys or a sandbox or figurines of their favorite cartoon characters, but they don’t need any of those things. They’ll play wherever they are and play with whatever they have.

Maybe you have seen little kids stuck at an airport running around with “toys” such as an empty soda bottle or a plastic spoon. Who knew those things could be so entertaining? They make it look so fun you feel like joining in!

We want to give our children the best opportunities to learn and to play. We try to make sure they have the best teachers and even the best schools if we have a choice in the matter. We enroll them in soccer, gymnastics, basketball, and other sports and try to teach them the rules and the fine points of the games. It’s only natural to try to guide them.

However, one of the best things we can do for our children is to let them play on their own without any structure, rules, or guidance.This brain development is accomplished by free play, where children use their creativity and own ideas to come up with a desired game or type of play. Think back to the kid with the soda bottle. No one had to tell her how to play with it. It was the only offering the parents had, and she did all the rest.

Wrestling, making a fort, creating animals out of sticks, figuring out a game with a ball—all these activities help the brain build new circuits to aid in various social interactions and play. Children will find this type of play on their own if parents let them. Giving them the environment and opportunity is essential, but let them play on their own and in their own way.