Playing is critical for child development, both socially, mentally, and physically. According to Nations High Commission for Human Rights, every child has a right to play. However, such birthright is currently under jeopardy due to different factors that hinder the mobility of children and their ability to engage in uncontrolled playing ( Harper & Sanders, 1975). Factors such as child labor and exploitation practices, war and neighborhood violence, and the limited resources available to children living in poverty are some of the factors hindering their ability to play. Also, children in peaceful households and adored with reason are still not safe. Such children have a tight schedule due to education as the parents strive to create for them a better future at a young age. The protective environment, in which some of these children live, is right for them but not healthy ( Harkness et al., 2011). Children need their time to engage in both structured and unstructured playing. However, limited playing areas and time are critically affecting them, and the consequences are depression, anxiety, and stress. The solution lies in both the parents and the government. The government must come up with the guideline targeting an increase in public playing areas. The directive should look into schools and also ensure that parents understand the need to create time and space for their children to play.
Background
In the current world, parents, institutions of learning, and the government are seemingly underlooking the benefits of allowing children time to have unstructured playing time? According to McKinney & Power (2012) , with an increasing number of single parenting in the world, most children find themselves living with single parents who are busy trying to make ends meet. Therefore, these parents lack the much needed time to play or facilitate a play for their children. In other cases, children live with parents who are all working and looking for means to provide for them both better life and future. In such situations too, parents have limited time to spent with their children and ensure that they have the right areas where they can play.
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The source of the problem is not only the parents, but the government and the public institutions are also guilty. Currently, most public institutions are not creating space for children to allow them to play. The roadside walks are full of structures that do not permit children to play. Also, the private areas set aside for children to play, such as those in hypermarkets, are costly. Thus, some parents find it challenging to allow their children to enjoy their time in such areas because of the cost factor ( Hudspeth, 2016). The government is doing less to create public spaces where children can play, and this is becoming dangerous as it limits the playing time for children.
Both private and public schools were once places where children were engaged in free time playing with their fiend. The problem is on the educational institutions that do not give children ample space and time to play. Even at the Kindergarten level, children have tight school programs that engage tuition, and this means limited time for physical activities. According to Harkness et al. (2011), the author realizes that in most institutions of learning today, there is insufficient time for recess, the creative arts, and even physical education as schools focus on reading and mathematics. The change means that children are no longer getting enough time to be creative and play with their colleagues. The results increase incidents of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Technology is also guilty in the sense that it limits the children's freedom to play. At home, most children get busy behind the screen after school instead of getting a chance to play with their friends. In schools, institutions are preferring to institute new technology such as video games and virtual learning instead of creating areas for children to play ( Oudgenoeg-Paz, Leseman&Volman, 2015). Outdoor games in schools are currently minimal, and this is affecting the ability of children to go outside and play for better development. Online learning is another factor that is playing a significant role in limiting children's play. With schools migrating to the digital world, schools are limiting space to create online studies. Children do not get time to play together while in school due to online learning that forces them to learn from home.
In most cases, parents have made efforts to introduce a new area of play for their children, with some creating beautiful playing areas within the house full of toys. However, such attempts are no longer producing the best results because such an environment is under the monitoring of the parents, and there is no freedom for the children. Also, some children do not feel comfortable playing alone. Hence, if they have to stay at home and play alone, the kids may experience stress and depression ( Pulver, 1992). Also, some parents are financially unstable, and therefore creating such an environment for their children is impossible. In public places, the effort of the government to create playing areas also faces a lot of challenges, such as insecurity in the neighborhood. With such efforts achieving nonsubstantive results, there is a need to have some stringent measures and directives to ensure that children get time to play.
The consequences of a lack of playing for children are numerous and dangerous health-wise. First, as children engage in uncontrolled playing, they tend to become more creative as their motor skills develop. As they interact with their environment freely, they tend to be imaginative, active, and this is good for their health. Also, playing allow the children to develop social skills that prepare them for what the future holds. While interacting with their peers, children develop problem-solving skills and abilities, and this makes it easy for them to learn emotional control ( Pulver, 1992). These are skills that will be critical for them as they will grow to adulthood. Research also reveals that when children play together with their caregivers and parents, they develop a closer relationship with them. Such a link is particularly crucial in a case where the child is facing some problems that they would wish to share. They can thus feel free to share with them, and this is critical in reducing the chance of depression and suicide among children. Play is integral to the academic environment. It ensures that the school setting attends to the social and emotional development of children as well as their cognitive development.
Therefore, when there is no space and time for children to play, they are likely to miss out on many areas, and this is likely to affect them. Inactive children are likely to have so much pressure, and this could lead to stress and depression. With no playing space, children opt for television programs, and this can lead to social behavior change, and addiction to TV and such is unhealthy for children( Pulver, 1992). Further, the lack of social exposure can also affect the children's social behavior and their inability to socialize beneficially, and this could have a massive impact on their future life. Therefore, there must be a directive both targeting the parents and learning institutions to adjust their schedule and come up with strategies that give children the freedom to play to enhance their health wellbeing ( Kaufman,1994). The solution, therefore, lies on both parents' responsibilities and the directive the government can have to ensure that learning institutions have a measure that promotes a flexible schedule to allow children to take part in physical activities.
The solution
Pinpointing a single solution for these issues could be a challenge because children come from different families that vary regarding financial stability, culture, and social status. For instance, while some families are capable of creating the right areas to enhance children's self-directed play, some families are poor and cannot enable their children to enjoy such opportunities. Therefore, a solution to improve the children's self-directive plays and also increase the number of playing areas for them must account for such differences ( McKinney & Power, 2012). Although parents can be encouraged to optimize conditions for this kind of play in the home, there must be broad societal responses that address poverty, social inequities, and violence before we can advise parents to allow unsupervised play.
The first solution should focus on the children hailing from families that have financial challenges. The best solution for such families is community-based education, such as head start. Community-based education should focus on the parents and educate them on the best strategies that should put in place to ensure that their children have the opportunity to engage in unsupervised play ( Hart, 2002). Such education strategies should also focus on coaxing parents to allow their children sometimes to play and create a better environment for them to enhance play ( Harkness et al., 2011). Educating them on the benefits of play can be a motivating factor towards them giving their children space for playing. The government can also take the responsibility of enhancing enrichment activities, and this could be important for the families that cannot afford the area for their children and those that cannot afford to provide for their children the best time for play.
For all children, however, the implementation of those strategies that promote healthy youth development and resiliency can be critical. Such policies should focus on the parents, the community, and the schools ( McKinney & Power, 2012). For the parents, the focus should be on enhancing a better relationship between them and the children. A better relationship between parents has the freedom to play with their children, and this means they will create space for them to allow them to have their free time to play with limited supervision ( Lam & McHale, 2015). Despite being part of the programs, the parents can either chose to take an active or passive role during such plays. However, they should ensure that the children are entirely self-driven.
The next strategy is to focus on a measure that ensures that in every school, both private and public, the school administrative creates space for the children to enhance playing. It should also focus on providing that there is mandatory inclusion of the physical activities and other activities that promote playing for the lower classes, mostly Kindergarten and those who are disabled. Such programs should be part of the school curriculum, and the head of schools ensure that they work well ( Pulver, 1992). Such measures should be under the supervision of government agencies under the ministry of education in a country. Lastly, the government should ensure that there are playing ground for children within the local neighborhoods. Such places should have tight security measures with excellent facilities that allow for better engagement between the children. The cost should be affordable for all people to ensure that children get enough time to play and enjoy themselves.
Notably, these programs could face a lot of challenges, but a lot of resilience must come in for them to succeed in achieving their objectives. For instance, critics can point to the fact that currently, most parents have jobs that keep them on schedule ( Kaufman,1994). Therefore, they may not have enough time for their children. Others may also point to the fact that some schools lack space and may also find it difficult to organize such playing time for children ( Harkness et al., 2011). However, enforcing agencies should ensure that each should locate an area for children. Space should not be big but should be efficient depending on the number of children available in the school. Another issue can be the cost, mostly in public areas. The government can subside such places so that the overall cost becomes affordable parents.
In conclusion, allowing the time and space for children to play is critical for their development both mentally, physically, and socially. Unfortunately, studies reveal that due to numerous factors that tighten the schedule for children and also hinder the close link between children and parents, children are no longer getting enough time and space to play. The trend is worrying because children need to play to develop well. Therefore, placing measures that target parents, schools, and communicate to allow them to create space and time for the children to play can be an excellent way to enhance the progress in this area.
References
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Hart, R. (2002). Containing children: some lessons on planning for play from New York City. Environment and Urbanization , 14 (2), 135-148.
Hudspeth, E. F. (2016). Neuroscience influences in the International Journal of Play Therapy articles.
Kaufman, B. A. (1994). Day by day: Playing and learning. International journal of play therapy , 3 (1), 11.
Lam, C. B., & McHale, S. M. (2015). Developmental patterns and parental correlates of youth leisure-time physical activity. Journal of family psychology , 29 (1), 100.
McKinney, C., & Power, L. (2012). Childhood playtime, parenting, and psychopathology in emerging adults: Implications for research and play therapists— International Journal of Play Therapy , 21 (4), 215.
Oudgenoeg-Paz, O., Leseman, P. P., &Volman, M. C. J. M. (2015). Exploration as a mediator of the relation between the attainment of motor milestones and the development of spatial cognition and spatial language. Developmental Psychology , 51 (9), 1241.
Pulver, S. E. (1992). DW Winnicott: Psycho-Analytic Explorations edited by Clare Winnicott, Ray Shepherd, and Madeleine Davis Cambridge, MA: Harvard. Psycho-analytic Books , 3 (1), 53-57.
