• Home

  • Meet Stacey

    • Work with Me

  • Decor

  • Family

  • Food

  • Style

  • Travel

  • Shop My Feed

  • PRIVACY POLICY

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Posh in Progress

How to Encourage Unstructured Play In Young Children

By Stacey Freeman Leave a Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #PlayingWithPlaymobil unstructured play “Mom, what activity are we doing today?”, my son asked, with genuine interest. What I wanted to say was, figure it out. Instead, I started to think that maybe its time I figure out how to encourage unstructured play in my children.

Over-scheduling My Kids

If I had a dollar for every time my son asked me what programmed activity or event we were doing on the weekend, I’d be rich by now. My kids are so used to scheduled activities. It’s not completely my fault. I actually blame the fact that they’ve been in some version of school since they were two. Although their childcare centers provided a lot of enriching activities, like art, science, even baking, they also taught my kids to expect very structured and constant activities. Ironically, I am also used to providing a lot of activities because I was raised by an elementary school teacher. Growing up, I actually sat with my mom (who taught second grade) as she prepped different crafts and other fun activities for her students. unstructured play 2 When I had kids, it was natural for me to prepare little crafts for them, little science projects, things to keep them engaged and busy all the time. But over time, I’ve actually realized that giving my kids free time to do whatever they want is also very important. On weekends, I always set aside at least an hour or two each weekend day for my kids to have unstructured playtime. Honestly, they generally hate free time. They’d rather do an activity with me, watch a tv show, play with their tablets, or go somewhere with me. But I’ve found that it’s just the process of starting free play that they dread. Once they figure out what they are going to do, they almost always have a great time. Generally, they don’t even want to stop.

Toys That Encourage Free Play

 


Hover over the image above to shop for these PLAYMOBIL playsets at Target! Recently, one of my favorite ways to encourage free play is to break out their PLAYMOBIL sets from Target. They especially love the new DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free PLAYMOBIL sets because they get to bring one of their favorite tv shows to life. All of the PLAYMOBIL sets are so much fun because kids get to create all types of worlds – from real-life ones, like police and fire – to fantastical, like modern-day dinosaurs. The Spirit sets are so much fun for my kids because they love the show and it’s fun for them to act out and recreate their favorite scenes. They also get to use their imagination with all of the realistic and detailed pieces. My daughter especially loved all the little cleaning tools and brushes for the horses. She spent a significant amount of time brushing the horses and sweeping up the stable with the little push broom. My son had the most fun changing out the saddles and jumping with the horses.

Benefits of Unstructured Play

Sure, there is a benefit to my kids knowing how to participate in structured activities and learning. But there is a major benefit for them to experience unstructured play. One of the first benefits of free play is increased creativity. When kids play freely, they are not weighed down by rules or time. They get to create their own rules and push boundaries of how objects or their spaces are used. Free play, when kids play together, also encourages social and emotional growth, including conflict resolution and teamwork. If kids are playing together in a free play setting, they will need to make decisions like what game to play and how to accomplish that game. They have to develop and share their ideas with each other. Also, they have to work as a team to create the outcome they want from their game. Free play also improves motor skills. It depends on the toy and experience, the PLAYMOBIL set actually uses a lot of fine motor skills, while other free play can also improve gross motor skills. Overall, I’ve found it’s important for me to build in unstructured playtime into our overly structured schedule. I know it might seem counter-intuitive to actually schedule free play. But I think it’s important to prioritize it for my kids. I want them to have a balanced and well-rounded childhood, and that includes time to just be kids. Free play is so important in helping them to make sense of and function in the world, so I’m going to encourage unstructured play whenever I can.

Tagged With: Kids, play, Playmobil, Target, Toys, unstructured play

About Stacey Freeman

I am a Style Maven, Mommy, Educator, and Traveler.

« What Happened When I Got Lash Extensions For the First Time
What is Social Media on the Sand For Beaches Moms? »

What do you think? Cancel reply

Hi, I’m Stacey!

Popular Posts

  • Starbucks Egg Bites Recipe In the Oven featured by top LA lifestyle blogger, Posh in Progress

    How to Make Starbucks Copycat Egg Bites In the Oven

  • Red White and Blue Trifle Recipe: How to Make This Adorable Dessert

  • Doralto the perfect margarita alternative

    The Doralto: The Little Known Alternative to the Margarita

  • How to Do a Shadow Root at Home, tips featured by top lA lifestyle blogger, Posh in Progress

    How to Do a Shadow Root at Home

  • Tips to choose your AirBnb in Italy featured by top lifestyle blogger, Posh in Progress

    6 Truths About Using Airbnb in Italy For The First Time

Disclosure

This site uses selective affiliate links, which means a commission is earned if you make a purchase via the link. The price you pay will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. We appreciate, and thank you for, your support!

Pinterest

Join Stacey on Instagram

poshinprogress

Writer - Educator - Entrepreneur
Mom Life • Fashion • Travel • Recipes
My new children’s book ➡️https://amzn.to/3rjsXKE

Stacey Freeman, Ph.D.
When’s the last time you accomplished something When’s the last time you accomplished something you never thought you would? 

I still can hardly believe I’m a published children’s book author. This isn’t my first time being published; I’ve written many academic papers and even a book chapter with a colleague about museum activism. But a children’s book? I never imagined or dreamed I could.

Now it’s only 5 more days until my first children’s book hits stores! You can preorder now on Amazon. I appreciate your love and support. Link in stories! 

#newauthor #newbook #childrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrenbook #kidsbooks #kidsbook #newrelease #newreleasetuesday
I can't believe summer break is almost here! Are y I can't believe summer break is almost here! Are you still looking for summer options for your kids? 

My kids will be attending @galileocamps this summer, and they are so excited! Camp Galileo is an award-winning summer day camp that uses project-based learning and STEM principles to help develop innovators. They have over 65 summer camp locations across Northern and Southern California, Chicagoland, Denver, and Seattle. They offer innovative camp experiences for kids as young as pre-K up to 10th grade. Plus, they also offer flexible scheduling to help working families. If you're interested in learning more, visit poshinprogress.com to read about my kids' experience last summer and why they are so excited to go back this year. Also, you can save 15% with code POSH15 when you register at galileo-camps.com #ad @galileocamps #summercamp #lamoms #lamom #lasummercamp
Jacaranda season in my new babydoll dress 💜💜 Jacaranda season in my new babydoll dress 💜💜

Not pictured, me trying to walk casually on the sea of jacaranda flowers as my heels continually sink into the grass 🤦🏼‍♀️🤣💜.

New on poshinprogress.com, I’m sharing the cutest long sleeve baby doll dresses for spring. Link in profile or stories! You can shop my favorites here: https://liketk.it/3Frgk

Follow my shop @poshinprogress on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!

#babydolldress #springfashion #springdress #springstyle #curvyfashion #lavenderdress #ltkcurves #ltkunder50 #ltkunder100
#ad My Gigi is fierce and confident. I'm constantl #ad My Gigi is fierce and confident. I'm constantly amazed by her tenacity and spunk. These are qualities I admire so much in her, and I'm so glad I'm raising a strong girl. It's not that often I see role models on TV for Gigi, but when Nickelodeon sent me the new Walmart That Girl Lay Lay merch, Gigi was so excited because she thinks That Girl Lay Lay is as cool as I think G is. If you haven’t checked out @ThatGirlLayLay yet, head over to Walmart.com/laylay to find all the cute swag so your girl can embody all of the confidence of That Girl Lay Lay too. #ThatGirlLayLay #LayLayAtWalmart @walmart
CA friends, have you been to the @the_flower_field CA friends, have you been to the @the_flower_fields yet? This week is your last chance to see all the stunning ranunculus flowers. If you’re looking for other fun thing to do in Carlsbad, head over to poshinprogress.com or link in stories! 

#flowerfieldscarlsbad #carlsbadflowerfields  #carlsbad #travelblogger #travelblog #flowerfields #flowers #ranunculus
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in all of the Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in all of the forms ❤️. I appreciate you and all of the selfless and unseen things you do. 

R & G, you’ve changed my world so completely. You’ve taught me unconditional love, patience, and cherishing the moment. I am the luckiest. 

And a very Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and gram @debvicario2 - we miss your weekly visits, come back! 

Lastly, motherhood is a choice which requires great effort and sacrifice. A woman’s reproductive health is for her to decide.

#mothersday #happymothersday #momlife
Load More... Follow Stacey on Instagram

© 2022 Posh in Progress. All rights are reserved.

Copyright © 2022 · Glam Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in