Children Don't Play As Much As They Used To: Why You Should Be Worried

“I’m going downstairs to play!” is a phrase many of us often uttered during our childhood. Today, it is becoming rarer in the daily lives of families: according to some studies, children play less than before – an hour and a half a day – and they stop playing with classic toys earlier. From the age of 7-9, many prefer electronic devices to dolls, figurines, kites, toy cars, etc.

The emergence of these devices, life in big cities where outdoor activities are less independent and less safe, and long school days followed by extracurricular activities are all factors that may explain this trend. But beyond the causes, what are the consequences?

Play to learn and grow

We've known for years about the importance of play in children's development and learning. Some research conducted in the United States warns of the link between decreased time spent on free play and increased anxiety and depression in children and young people.

Play is present in all cultures and eras, as evidenced by the archaeological remains of certain toys . Human babies go through a stage of biological immaturity that makes them dependent on adults for survival, and at this stage, they spend a large part of their time playing.

This immaturity allows them to benefit from play, through which they can repeat behaviors, simulate situations, practice behaviors, learn to control their attention and emotions, learn elements of the social context and gradually integrate into the adult world.

In summary, these children's activities contribute positively to human development in all its dimensions:

• on the physical level, through the stimulation of the evolution of the nervous system;
• on the psychomotor level, by promoting balance and muscular control.
• on the cognitive level, by developing thinking and creativity;
• from a social point of view, by allowing contact with peers and learning rules of behavior.
• from an affective and emotional point of view, through the search for pleasure, psychological balance or self-control.

There are a multitude of human behaviors that can be grouped under the term play, hence the complexity of the concept and the difficulty of defining and categorizing it.

Due to the diversity of approaches and conceptual frameworks from which research has been approached, it is not surprising to find that for every area of ​​child development there is a form of play.

Also read: My child has an imaginary friend: what if it helped them grow up?

However, they are generally classified into five broad types: physical activity, play with objects, symbolic play, imitation and imaginative play, and rule-based play.

Physical activity includes active play with activities such as jumping, climbing, playing with a ball, etc., which begin to develop from the second year of life, as well as fine motor activities such as cutting or coloring, and group play , typical of the preschool phase, which takes place with others and includes wrestling, kicking, and fighting through which children learn to control their aggression. These games promote not only motor and sensory development, but also attachment skills and understanding of emotional and social skills.

Play with objects begins in the first months, when babies are able to grasp and hold objects. They begin rubbing objects, hitting them, dropping them... until they are able to sort them, classify them, build with them, and so on. These activities serve as mechanisms for exploring the world around them.

Symbolic play, which appears between the ages of 2 and 3, focuses on the use of symbolic systems such as language, reading, drawing or music and promotes the development of thinking skills about experiences, emotions, etc.

Pretend play , in which objects are transformed to represent others (a broomstick represents a horse, a finger acts as a gun, etc.), appears around the age of 1 year and is a means of developing abstract thinking , which has implications for future cognitive, social, and academic skills.

Rule-based games range from outdoor games like hide-and-seek or sports to board games and electronic games. These games develop an understanding of rules and aspects of social life such as turn-taking, sharing, and understanding other people's perspectives.

Play, social activity and children's rights

In recent decades, with the gradual integration of a large portion of the population into cities, there has been a steady decline in traditional, outdoor, face-to-face play, in favor of structured play, organized sports, and extracurricular activities. As a result, some research suggests that children play less today than they did a few decades ago.

Also read: Children who are free to come and go on their own will find their way better as adults

There is also an increase in technology-based games (video games, virtual and augmented reality). Interestingly, despite their detractors, it has been observed that these games provide necessary skills that meet the characteristics of technological societies (agility in decision-making, problem-solving, etc.).

In terms of its implications for learning, play is an indispensable childhood activity that contributes positively and can be used as a teaching tool by parents and teachers due to its motivating, fun and enjoyable nature.

Along the same lines, game dynamics such as gamification are applied in educational contexts, with the aim of involving students in academic tasks, making them participate in learning processes and improving their performance .

Human adults still retain these behaviors that, in other species, only define infant members. Regardless of age, play plays an important role in people's lives. For some, it's a way to train and practice new skills and behaviors in a safe environment, while for others, it's a way to foster social interaction and connection with others. Overall, play can have several beneficial effects on mental and physical health, such as stress reduction, enhanced creativity, and problem-solving.

In short, play is not just an activity for children, but can be an important part of the lives of people of all ages. The potential of play underpins the development of higher-order cognitive, socio-emotional, and problem-solving abilities developed by humans.

Play is necessary for the flourishing of our human condition and is now rightly recognized by the United Nations not only as an opportunity but also as a right for children .