The Role of Unstructured Play in Child Development – If you didn’t pick up on the clue in the name, unstructured play is play time where there is no particular structure. Children are free to do whatever they like as they have no set play activity. The premise of unstructured play is to get children to think for themselves. They are given the freedom to explore and execute their own ideas. There are various toys which give children this flexibility such as Lego and crafting kits. In this blog we explore unstructured play and share guidance from a nursery in Twickenham.
Child Development – Cognitive Development
Cognitive development concerns how children think, explore and figure things out. It helps them with their understanding of the world and is something which you should start to work on as a parent from the moment that your child’s born through interaction and exposure to everyday objects. Unstructured play allows children to do this, make connections and problem solve which aids their cognitive development.
Child Development – Problem Solving
This leads us nicely on to problem solving. It’s a part of cognitive development and is the skill to come up with innovative solutions. As children can freely explore their ideas in unstructured play, they can practise creative thinking and become better problem solvers. Also, they will likely come across situations where they need to apply the skills when things don’t go as planned and they encounter obstacles.
Child Development – Resilience
Not every single idea they come up with will be a good one but the hurdles they come across will help them in developing resilience and patience.
Child Development – Teamworking
When playing with others your child will need to play nicely, share their things, and socialise. This gives them the chance to develop team working skills and a whole host of other skills such as communication and interpersonal skills.
Child Development – Motor Skills
We use a range of motor skills every day to walk, run, jump, and even pick things up that we’ve dropped. They are strengthened through practice which your child can do through play when picking things up and running around.
Child Development – Unstructured Play Activities
While you want to give your child the freedom to play as they like and explore their ideas, there are play activities that you can explore to help promote their creativity. Examples include hide and seek, colouring, water play, playing with cars and toy vans and moulding playdough.
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