Reply to "I lived the happiest childhood a child could possibly know”

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Reply to ""I lived the happiest childhood a child could possibly know”"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I ended up putting my kids in lots of activities because I realized all of the kids my kids want to play with are in extended day or other activities.  There is literally nobody around for my kids to play with.  It is sad.[/quote]

Extended day is actually close to what OP seems to be looking for - unstructured play time with other kids, mostly outdoors as weather permits. [/quote]

+1.

The kids in extended day at the elementary school close to my house  have a lot if unstructured play.[/quote]

It varies so much by school. We pulled our kid out of extended day because it was too much screen time and not enough free play. And the free play they had was poorly managed so kids with behavioral issues would just torment everyone else, which only drove the kids inside for the optional movie instead. Not worth it.

People complain about how parents rely too much on screens and structured activities to placate and control kids? Well guess what, schools and childcare facilities do this too. Turns out free play and independent exploration requires effort on the part of the adults minding the kids -- you have to be ready to answer questions, intervene when the play gets too rough, know how to handle a kid who is afraid or claims to be bored. Adults these days, including those working with young kids, often don't care to do this. They'd rather turn on a movie or engage them in a structured activity with rules (like "no talking in line" or "hands to yourself").

If we want to change how kids are being raised these days, especially regarding free play and screen time, we should probably start with education and childcare and adopt models currently considered more niche -- Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilio, etc. All of which emphasize independence and limited technology exposure.[/quote]

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