subject: Swing Sets Encourage Children's Free Play And Assist In Healthy Development [print this page] Life in today's world is competitive and fast paced, and the pressures placed on kids to succeed can feel overpowering. In many communities, it isn't uncommon for parents to overschedule their children with extracurricular activities that they feel can enrich the children's experience and knowledge. Unfortunately, what becomes lost in this situation is the child's need for free play. When there is no room in the day for free play, children suffer. According to a clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, "play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth." Play is so vital for child development that the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights views play as the right of each and every child.
What is free play? In brief, it is the kind of play that is child-centered. It is created and guided by children. Free play doesn't involve electronics or screens, isn't scheduled, and isn't organized or presided over by adults. Free play is play that just happens. It can be an individual kind of play thought up by a single child, or it can be a cooperative effort where many children are involved. While adults may be invited to participate in free play with children, the children themselves must be the ones who direct the activities. Free play can come in any shape or form, but parents who wish to help encourage free play can provide children with tools to assist.
In the eyes of many parents, backyard swing sets are one of the most effective tools children can use for free play. With a swing set, children can initiate and engage in play, whether alone or with friends, and still be under the secretly watchful eye of mom or dad. Swing sets come in a wide array of configurations, so finding one that offers the desired features is rarely a problem. Wood swing sets are most commonly chosen backyard use, but metal swing sets are available as well. The most basic swing sets come with a couple of swings and a trapeze bar or rings, but parents can also customize their selection with more equipment. Monkey bars, a club house, and a slide are common additions that parents want for their children's backyard swing set. Other accessories can be added, of course, to meet the individual needs of the family. Some of the options that are available on many swing sets include a sandbox, different types of swings, or a climbing apparatus. Pretend play can be encouraged with fun accessories such as a telescope, steering wheel, or vinyl playhouse enclosure for the swing set's existing club house.
Children are wonderfully creative and can use free play time to strengthen their imaginative abilities. Swing sets are just one tool for free play that parents can provide to children, but they are a particularly beneficial tool. Swing sets, in addition to encouraging imaginative free play, also encourage active play. On a swing set, children are required to move their bodies as well as their minds, and this combination contributes to developing the whole child.
When it comes down to it, though, time is the most important tool that parents can provide their children to encourage free play. Stepping back and allowing children the time to engage in their own imaginative play will benefit their development far more extensively than a day filled with pre-scheduled activities ever could.
