Including Time to Play in Your Kids’ Schedule

One area that is sometimes overlooked when scheduling your kids’ time is how important it is to allow independent play.

It might not be necessary to have a literal scheduled block of time for play, especially if play still comes naturally to both you and your children, but if you find that you or your child are working more than playing, then marking off a specific time to play together may be a cure for what ails you.

Play is an important part of growing up. It gives kids a chance to try new things and to take on different roles to see what feels good to them.

With this experimentation, they can broaden their horizons in a safe way and help discover outlets that feel really good.

This also allows them to learn which activities they do not enjoy.

This sort of play is not the same as participating in sports or other extra-curricular activities. This is a time for kids to exercise their imaginations, because it is not just their bodies that need the exercise. For some children, this will come quite easily, but others may find this unscripted activity to be uncomfortable and confusing at first.

Do you remember the movie Miracle on 34th Street? The little girl, Susan, portrayed by Natalie Wood, is quite serious. This is not a case of her Internal Guidance System showing her true personality and desires. Her mother’s fears are causing both of them to be stiff and Vulcan-like in their logical behavior.

Kindly Kris Kringle recognizes this and begins to instruct Susan in the art and joy of play. He points out that there are many nations in the world, including “Imagi-Nation,” and helps break Susan out of her narrow routine to explore the world in a new way that helps her feel her own desires.

Giving kids the time to be kids and just play is a wonderful gift. Allow them time to play alone, as well as with a few friends.

Another gift you can give your children is to play with them yourself. It seems almost like second nature for parents to play with their children when they are very little. You might play peek-a-boo and clapping games and take genuine delight in the experience.

As your children get older, you might stop playing with them, which is too bad. Perhaps you have so many things on your plate that you don’t think you have the time to play. Or maybe, like Susan’s mother, you don’t believe playtime is important. Or possibly you just haven’t exercised your imagination lately and have forgotten how to do it.

When you play with your kids, it gives you the opportunity to tap into your own youth and joy. That is something most adults can use. Not only is playing fun, it can create a great bonding experience with your kids.

On top of that, after a long day at the office a little play break can be far more relaxing than a cocktail, raising your vibration level rather than dropping it. So when you are creating the weekly to-do list or schedule, be sure to pencil in some playtime for the entire family.