There have never been more ways to keep our kids entertained. From weekend sport, to dance classes, to the screens in their hands, today’s children have no shortage of things to do. But according to parenting educator Genevieve Muir, overscheduling our kids means they can miss out on the most valuable part of childhood: play.
“Kids are being run from one activity to the next. We’re doing a lot for them, and we’re depriving them of an opportunity to find their own fun.” Good old-fashioned play has been shown to be beneficial for the social and cognitive development of children.
Credit: iStock The mother of four and founder of Connected Parenting has recently launched a guide, “5 a Day of Play”, in collaboration with BabyLove, designed for kids of preschool age. Dr Emily Freeman, a senior lecturer at The University of Newcastle’s School of Psychological Sciences, has studied the developmental benefits of play for children and agrees the parenting world has evolved. She says that a greater emphasis on academic learning, combined with a decrease in local green spaces and the size of people’s backyards, means there’s less of a focus on physical and active play today.
It’s become a bit of a cliche to bemoan “iPad babies” – a generation of children saddled with screens by their stressed parents at the first sign of restlessness. However, while Muir says screens play a role in our cultural discomfort with boredom, she thinks the decrease in play in many ch.