Welcome Back To School!
I wanted my first post this year to be about an often overlooked topic—free play.
At Right At School we are committed to enriching our children throughout our morning and afternoon programs. While our enrichment units and classes are tied to Common Core Standards and have clear outcomes, I want to outline why we’re equally committed to open-ended free play both in our programs and at home.
In an era of over programming, early specialization, and excessive competition, unstructured free play can be a child’s refuge. Unstructured play promotes social interactions, emotional intelligence, and executive functioning, including self-control and problem solving skills. And, of course, it’s fun!
Leaving children to their own devises means they plan, organize, negotiate and make decisions. What I love about unstructured free play is that children develop new abilities that builds their self-confidence. When children create and play games with others (without our precise rules and expected outcomes) their autonomy blossoms.
If your child is enrolled in Right At School, they’ll love engaging with our educators and our tested, experiential curriculum. But we never forget that both at school and at home, kids love to be kids and free play means self-discovery, self-reliance, and self-confidence.
Speaking of free play, did you know that September 21, 2013 is the World Wide Day of Play? Hope your kids (and you) have a great day!
Mark