What are your memories of playing as a child? Some of us will remember hide and seek, jumping rope and so on. Others may recall creating imaginary worlds with our dolls, putting on plays, or dressing-up. From long summer days to a few precious after-school hours, kid-organized play may have filled much of your free time. But what about your children? Are their opportunities for play the same as yours were? Most likely not. Play time is in short supply for children these days and the lifelong consequences for developing children can be more serious than many people realize.
An article in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Play details not only how much children's play time has declined, but how this lack of play affects emotional development, leading to the rise of anxiety, depression, and problems of attention and self-control. According to Dr. Peter Gray, since 1995 children’s free play has been continually declining, at least partly because adults have exerted ever-increasing control over children’s activities. He describes this kind of unstructured, freely-chosen play as a testing ground for life. It provides critical life experiences without which young children cannot develop into confident and competent adults. According to a research conducted to assessed the way 6 to 8 years old spent their time in 1981 and in 1997, results revealed that compared to 1981, children in 1997 spent less time in play and had less free time. They spent 18 percent more time at school, 145 percent more time doing school work, and 168 percent more time shopping with parents. This meant to serve as a wake-up call regarding the effects of lost play, and that lack of childhood free play time is a huge loss that must be addressed for the sake of our children and society. Hence, a research conducted by scientists at Xavier University in Cincinnati and Baylor University in Texas, shows that among teens who are materialistic and compulsive spenders, having too much spare time or not having enough spare time are linked with lower happiness levels. The study involved 1,329 high-schoolers. Researchers gauged how much spare time the teens had, as well as how much value they place on material things and their tendency to buy compulsively. Researchers also found that being materialistic and a compulsive buyer lowered happiness levels of teens.
Even though study shows that too much free time can make you unhappy, stress isn’t good either. Play gives children a chance to find and develop a connection to their own self-identified and self-guided interests. It is through play that children first learn how to make decisions, solve problems, exert self-control, and follow rules. Children learn to handle their emotions, including anger and fear, during play. Play helps children make friends and learn to get along with each other as equals. Most importantly, play is a source of happiness.