Goals

What can be achieved through play...

A.K.A., WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING AT PLAY CLUB, WHEN KIDS ARE “JUST PLAYING”

• Social Development: Children learn to interact with peers of different ages, fostering social skills such as cooperation, empathy, and communication.

• Leadership and Mentoring: Older children often take on leadership roles, becoming mentors or role models for younger ones. This dynamic promotes a sense of responsibility and empathy among the older children.

• Cognitive Growth: Mixed-age play encourages cognitive development as children engage in activities that require problem-solving, negotiation, and shared decision-making.

• Reduced Bullying: With mixed-age play, there is often less emphasis on competition and physical strength, leading to a more inclusive environment and reduced likelihood of bullying. The presence of younger kids often makes older kids more empathic.

• Diverse Perspectives: Children of different ages bring varied experiences and perspectives to play, enriching the learning environment and broadening each child’s worldview.

• Creativity and Imagination: Unstructured play allows children to develop their creativity. They can invent scenarios, create games, and use their imagination freely.

• Independence: Unstructured play gives children the autonomy to make decisions, solve problems, and manage their time. This fosters a sense of independence and self-confidence.

• Physical Development: Activities like climbing, running, and jumping during unstructured play contribute to the development of gross motor skills, coordination, and overall physical fitness.

• Stress Reduction: Play is a natural stress reliever for children. Unstructured play provides a break from academic pressures and allows children to relax and have fun.

• Emotional Regulation: Through unstructured play, children learn to navigate and express their emotions. They develop emotional resilience and learn how to cope with various situations.

• Communication Skills: Children engage in verbal and non-verbal communication during unstructured play, enhancing their language skills and the ability to express themselves.

• Executive Function: Children plan out what they’re going to do — build a fort, hide behind the tree — and execute it. When, inevitably, things change and they have to pivot, they learn flexibility.

• Cooperation: Children learn they have to take turns or no one wants to play with them. They also see they can do more together than alone — drag the sand bag, build the tower.

• Making Friends: Children are having a hard time making friends and this distresses them. In play, they naturally make friends because they are doing something fun together, unself-consciously.