Playing is essential for child development. The game helps to explore, learn about society and live with others, and promotes the physical, cognitive and emotional development of boys and girls. Children experiment, interact with others, and enjoy their environment, which contributes to their growth and overall well-being. When the game is also carried out outdoors, they have access to a space to have fun and relax while they can connect with nature.
However, in today’s society there is a decline in outdoor play compared to previous generations: the use of public space by children, who previously spent hours and hours outdoors and often participated in large groups, he is now more limited in terms of time, partners and activities.
This is motivated by changes in our lifestyle, where there is an increase in structured activities, mostly sedentary, together with the increase in the use of electronic devices (video games, social networks…) that have changed the gaming preferences of many children.
On the other hand, in many urban areas access to green spaces has decreased and vehicle traffic has increased. The lack of open gaming zones in neighborhoods is seen as a major obstacle to the growth opportunities that gaming offers.
At the same time, there is increased concern on the part of parents, who tend to be more concerned about the safety of their children, with increased awareness of potential risks in outdoor environments. This prevents children from having the opportunity to play freely without supervision.
But because of the developmental importance of children’s experimentation and learning to manage risk, it is wise to strike a balance between understandable safety demands and children’s needs for free play.
It’s important to recognize these challenges and look for ways to encourage spontaneous, outdoor play. Cities should be organized thinking much more about children. It is necessary that they can be on the street, that there are play spaces, local parks and safe routes, both to these parks and to schools, which children can access independently.
There are reports from the European Union and the World Health Organization that highlight the importance of active and free play and physical activity for the comprehensive development of children. They provide recommendations for public institutions, parents and educators to promote play spaces to encourage outdoor play in children’s daily lives.
The role of adults is also important in encouraging and supporting this type of play: parents, educators and policy makers can and should play a key role in creating supportive environments, providing opportunities and motivating children to participate in activities at the same time. fresh air.
Among the ways in which parents and teachers can promote free play we can point out:
The authorities, especially at the municipal level, also play an important role in promoting free play:
While much research has been done on the role of play and how different types of play impact child development, more needs to be done to establish how different types of play support these characteristics in different ways and promote development. and learning at all ages.
In any case, the role of adults in children’s free play is important, since they can act as facilitators, role models, resource providers and guarantors of safe environments in spaces for free play.
Article originally published on The Conversation. Ángeles Conde Rodríguez is a tenured professor of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology at the University of Vigo.
