WASHINGTON 鈥� Dressing up as firefighters, building forts out of pillows and organizing games of tag are memories most adults associate with childhood. But kids today might not have that same connection.
According to new research, children between the ages of 2 and 10 are spending more time on devices than they are spending engaged in either indoor or outdoor free play.
In conducted by and Gallup, researchers found that children spend an average of 18.6 hours of their free time engaged in screen-based play per week and 14.6 hours on indoor screen-free play. An average of 10.6 hours are spent on outdoor play.
This comes at a time when and psychologists are advocating for more undirected playtime for kids.
鈥淸Play] really is responsible for building all the skills that are most important to make us independent, self-sufficient, problem-solving adults,鈥� said Melissa Bernstein, who co-founded the Connecticut-based toy company,聽Melissa and Doug, with her husband in 1988.
鈥淲ithout it, you will never discover who you are and what brings you joy. It is through childhood and play that we discover what we love and what makes us tick.鈥�
credits play for its ability to build confidence, resilience and conflict resolution skills. Some attribute the country鈥檚 uptick in childhood depression and anxiety to a decline in play.
Yet despite its known physical, cognitive, social and emotional benefits, playtime is taking a to academics and organized, structured activities. Bernstein said this is because parents have become focused on raising 鈥渟uccessful鈥� children 鈥� the benchmark for which is admission into an elite college. 聽
Eighty percent of parents surveyed in the Gallup study acknowledged that unstructured, child-led play helps to foster creativity, but only 22 percent listed creativity as one of the more important qualities for children to develop by age 10.
Instead, parents placed priorities on building self-confidence, social skills and academic skills.
Bernstein said all of those elements are important, but 鈥渋nnovation and creativity is what we need more than anything.鈥�
鈥淐reativity and innovative thinking and problem solving all come through being imaginative and playful when you鈥檙e young,鈥� she added.
If you鈥檙e looking to encourage more child-led free play at your house, Bernstein has some tips.
First, as hard as it may be, don鈥檛 direct your child to a specific activity. Instead, offer them an idea or two, and let them take it from there.
Bernstein, a mother of six children, likes to create and place 鈥渋nspiration baskets鈥� around the house. She鈥檒l make one that鈥檚 an arts and crafts basket, another that鈥檚 a game basket or a dress-up basket.
鈥淪o when your kids say, 鈥業鈥檓 bored,鈥� the tendency isn鈥檛 to just allow them to go onto technology or tell them exactly what to do, which is another thing we as parents do,鈥� said Bernstein, who recently launched a campaign to raise awareness around the importance of play. 聽
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents organize playgroups, beginning around the age of 2 or 3. Don鈥檛 dictate the activity, but give the children a dedicated space and a few tools they can use to play together.
Finally, Bernstein said pencil in time to play. Everyone is busy, but if you schedule time for free play, just as you would any other activity, it鈥檚 less likely to be an afterthought.
鈥淸Play] really builds the foundation for a happy and productive and fulfilling life,鈥� Bernstein said.
