As the school year winds down and summer approaches, now is the perfect time to embrace the incredible value of unstructured play for children. With long stretches of unscheduled time ahead, summer provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to engage in the simple yet profound act of unstructured, self-directed play.
However, the reality is that unstructured play can sometimes cause anxiety for parents. The open-endedness and lack of direction can feel unsettling. You may worry about messes, arguments between kids, or sheer boredom setting in.
That’s why we’re offering a workshop on Tuesday, June 11th (as part of our Parent Education Series) to equip parents with strategies for encouraging (and surviving!) unstructured play this summer. You’ll learn tips for:
- Setting up engaging unstructured play spaces and activity stations
- Stepping back to allow productive struggles and work through conflicts
- Finding the balance between boredom and over-scheduling
- And More!
While scheduled camps, sports and activities have their place, unstructured playtime is critical as well this summer. When given the freedom to create, explore and invent, you may be amazed by your child’s ingenuity, problem-solving skills, and pure joy.
Join us on June 11th and start this summer with the tools and mindset to let that unstructured play thrive. In doing so, you’ll give your child developmental advantages for cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth as they are given open-ended opportunities to explore, take risks, solve problems, and dive into their imaginations. After all, some of the most empowering play simply cannot be planned – but it can be set up for success!
Register for this workshop and more at https://seattleplaytherapy.com/parent-education-series/
