The Crucial Need for Unstructured Child's Play

by Peg L. Smith

Think of some of the best learning experiences you had as a child. Did they include watching how the water rippled as you skipped stones across a pond? Twilight games of tag in the backyard? Was it counting stars or trees or funny shapes in clouds?

Does this sound like play? That's because it is! Sometimes, as we strive to help our children be the best that they can be, we lose sight of how children (and all of us!) learn best. We forget that some of the most important things we ever discovered about the world didn't come from what someone told us, but rather from what we experienced first-hand.

Children learn deeply and learn well through play and experience. The best teachers-the kind that we love and remember-know this. The camp community also knows this, as we have been providing children with opportunities to learn through play for nearly 150 years.

A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) confirmed what camp professionals have always known-that creative play is healthy and essential. With more and more time spent sitting in front of a screen-whether at a TV or a computer- and a sometimes heavy dose of scheduled activities, kids are missing out on free and unstructured play. This kind of experience is critical if children are to reach important developmental milestones.

When children play, they learn by actively doing-they explore and discover, learn to get along with others, take safe risks, try new things and maybe fail, but learn to try again. According to the AAP, now, more than ever, children need time to play-as it reduces their stress and increases their resiliency.

In his book, The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier and Healthier Children, child development expert Dr. David Elkind states that without time for good, old-fashioned play, children face health and psychological consequences.

Dr. Elkind says, "The traditional summer camp recognizes that play is a powerful form of learning that contributes mightily to the child's healthy physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development."

Dr. Elkind, the AAP, and the camp community agree with what I instinctively know as a parent-that to be a positive, productive adult, one needs the opportunity to truly experience childhood. That is how one grows. I believe that families and child development experts realize this, and that is why the camp industry continues to grow as well, with 10 million children attending camp annually.

Camp allows children to build skills necessary to prepare them to assume roles as successful adults. The American Camp Association's independent research supports this-children who go to camp, even for as little as one week each summer, show growth in areas such as self-confidence, independence, making friends, exploring and learning new activities, and spirituality.

In a world in which children are asked not only to do their homework and chores after school, but also to participate and excel in piano lessons, soccer practice, and gymnastics, the camp experience provides a unique environment that allows kids to just be kids- a very special place where a child's individual mental, emotional, and physical needs are nurtured. The benefits of these experiences translate not only into the classroom, but also into every aspect of a child's life-and are carried on into adulthood. Camp is an experience that truly lasts a lifetime.

© 2007 American Camping Association, Inc.

Peg L. Smith is the chief executive officer of the American Camp Association® (ACA), which works to preserve, promote, and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-Accredited® camp programs ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. To find one of these camps and to learn more about the camp experience, visit www.ACAcamps.org or ACA's Web site for parents and families, www.CampParents.org.