Free play: a return to the sources

FREE PLAY: A RETURN TO THE SOURCES, A GUAGE OF HEALTH 

What is free play, exactly? As opposed to structured play, free or unstructured play is a period of amusement that has not been organized by an adult and that does not use any entertainment system, such as a video game. In short, it means leaving children to lead their own fun. The child initiates and directs the game, comes up with the objectives, defines how it unfolds and decides on the outcome.

Did you know ?

Play is a right recognized by the United Nations and stipulated in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Play, then and now ...

Then, we played :

• without adult supervision
• in groups, with children of different ages
• outdoors, in nature, where there were trees, plants, mud, snow, grasses, etc.
• by climbing, scaling, jumping... in short, taking risks, exploring and testing limits
• the whole day... until begged to come home for supper and bath time

Now, we play :

• under the close watch of adults
• with manufactured toys, developed for children in specific age groups
• often inside or in environments that don’t get dirty
• with games that pose no danger
• in predetermined spaces and time periods