Even though I try desperately to keep their lives simple, the truth is that my kids are over structured. They have gymnastics, piano, CCD and at times, soccer. Earlier this year when I was overwhelmed by all the activities, I spoke with Dr. Barbara Gold, M.D. from St Christopher's Hospital for Children. She talked a lot about the importance of kids joining activities, but also the need for unstructured play. She says kids need at least an hour a day of free time to develop their creativity and learn how to negotiate rules with other children their age. Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MSED has researched the topic and wrote about it in the American Academy of Pediatrics. Ginsburg says free play has been markedly reduced for some children even though it offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children.
Armed with that advice I made a few changes this winter and tried to be sure they get more free time. The Please Touch Museum is the perfect place to enjoy creative play. I actually wasn't sure if my 8 year old would be outgrowing the museum soon, but I was wrong. She loved every minute of it! So often, my older girls want to play with their friends, it was nice to have that day just to hang out and play with each other. The baby really loved it too. I included a snap shot of him pretending to be the Statue of Liberty!
We're lucky to have a museum like Please Touch in our backyard. I loved spending a day with the kids and watching them be so creative!
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