Why is Unstructured Play Important for Child Development?

An aspect of child learning is play time, where your child will have a lot of time to figure out what they enjoy and develop their cognitive skills. Unstructured play is something you will be able to find easy to set up and has heaps of benefits for children, and is recommended by nurseries and pre-schools across the UK. Here are some reasons why unstructured play is important for child development, as shared by this prestigious Nursery in Potters Bar.

Inspires creativity

Your child is going to need a lot of opportunities for them to try new things. That often means having a host of things to try and play along with - from paints and crafting supplies to having a go with sensory toys and puzzles.

Your child should feel encouraged to pick up many different forms of play when they are young in order to find what interests them and what makes them feel happy. Unstructured play helps with that as they don’t have to follow a particular plan in their head - it can be whatever that comes to mind.

Helps your child find new interests

Having a structure to a day just means that your child follows whatever you direct them to do, which can give them a false sense of security. In reality, having moments where play is unstructured and unplanned can give them the opportunity to explore lots of new interests and passions.

Children won’t be able to find things that pique their interest if they don’t have the opportunity to discover something new each day or week, which can be greatly supported through unstructured play.

Helps children to solve problems

Solving problems is going to be a huge part of your child’s development, which is why finding unique ways to help them navigate different issues can give them a lot more confidence. Through unstructured play, your child will see problems happen in front of them, as well as finding out how these issues can be solved. 

Children will have to be creative to solve them as they won’t always have the same problems over and over. This is why unstructured play is very helpful - kids will have to think for themselves about how to solve something happening in front of them.