Seth Turner, Younger Kids teacher
Play. What could be a more quintessential part of childhood than play?! It was certainly a huge part of my formative years. Unstructured, unfettered, undirected play. Opportunities, both at home and at school, for me to choose the direction of my play. I didn’t know it when I was a kid, but the immense amount of time I had to independently choose how I spent my free time was vital to my development as a person. I learned social skills, grew my independence and self-belief, fostered my creativity, learned to problem solve, and reduced my anxiety. The benefits went far beyond having fun and building memories.
Unfortunately, most children today do not have access to the kind of unstructured play time that children had when I was growing up. Time for unstructured play for our children is declining, both at school and at home. In schools, this has largely been due to the changing landscape that grew from the shift toward higher test scores and school accountability in the early 2000s. Many schools and districts have increased instructional time in classrooms by cutting programs like music and art. Additionally, the amount of time provided for recess has significantly decreased.
Here at Rivendell, we are proud to have continually protected this essential time for our students. We know that students who are provided regular unstructured recess opportunities see many benefits. These breaks promote optimal learning of academic content and an improvement in classroom behaviors. Teachers report that their students are much less likely to display inattentiveness when given regular breaks and recesses. All of these facets come together to benefit all Rivendell kids, not just socially, but academically as well. At Rivendell, we believe that protecting our students’ play is every bit as important as giving them the high-quality academic instruction that Rivendell families deserve.
Outside of school, there have also been many reasons for a major decline in unstructured playtime. Many kids today spend a large portion of their evenings on scheduled activities. These can enrich their lives and provide opportunities to explore their interests. However, for each activity that they are signed up for, kids lose an opportunity for unstructured playtime.
Along with overscheduling, kids are also not venturing outside like they used to. A belief that our communities are unsafe for our kids is prevalent. Over the last four generations, it is estimated that the distance that an eight-year-old child is allowed to roam away from their home has decreased from 6 miles to just 300 yards. Compared to only one generation ago, children now spend more than 50% less time engaging in unstructured outdoor activities.
Screens also present a barrier to unstructured play. In large part, a child’s life is increasingly devoted to screens. The most conservative estimates show that children aged 0-8 spend two to five hours per day on screens. This amount only grows as humans age, with the average American adult spending 7 hours and 3 minutes per day on screens.
Many studies are calling the lack of unstructured play a public health crisis due to the rise in childhood obesity, a lack of development of social skills, a reduced capacity to problem solve, and a drastically increased rate of childhood anxiety and depression. These aren’t outcomes that any of us want for the children who bring their magic into our lives. So what can we do?
At home, the key idea is moderation. After-school activities, screen time, and playing indoors can all stimulate and enhance a child’s life. Too much of these things, however, is proven to have real and measurable consequences. In schools, a balance must be struck between meeting the demands of instructional time and providing opportunities for kids to have recesses every day. We commit to providing these opportunities for our students at Rivendell, and we will protect them as part of our commitment to educating the whole child.
