Author Tells Princeton Parents Unstructured Play Time Important for Children

The following article was submitted by Princeton Regional Schools.

Gabrielle Principe, this year’s final speaker in the Princeton Balance series at Princeton Regional Schools, admits that being a parent is a tough job – and that it seems to be getting tougher.

A developmental psychologist, author, and mother of two, Principe blended scientific expertise with humor and plain common sense in her talk to advocate bringing some of the fun and freedom back into childhood.

One of the greatest challenges for both parents and children, according to Principe, is that children’s brains were not created with the modern environment in mind.

“The brain has evolved to expect certain types of experiences,” she said. “Childhood has changed, but our brains haven’t. The problem is not with our kids; it’s with the environment.”

To speculate what the ideal environment for children should look like, we can borrow a page -- or, rather many pages -- from history. “For 99 percent of history, children were free to roam in packs, learning from each other,” noted Principe, who said this model extends from the early hunter-gatherers to her own suburban childhood of playing outdoors with friends.

Increasingly, unstructured free play, which promotes creativity, cooperation, and self-regulation for children, is being replaced by structured, adult-supervised activities, whether it be at home, in the classroom, or on the playing field.

So how do we bring the fun and freedom back for our children? The answer is surprisingly simple: Do nothing.

“Remember, doing nothing is doing something,” said Principe, meaning that free play is actually very important. Research shows that when children engage in pretend play, they use more sophisticated language and are better at self-regulation.

They are also busy exploring the world around them.

“Children are built to learn like scientists,” Principe said, noting that they make observations, actively form and test hypotheses, often repeating and tweaking their experiments. “Labs are messy places. Let them get a little messy.”

Principe’s advice is simple yet goes against the grain of modern logic in our over-scheduled world. “Some extra-curriculars are OK, but not if that’s the only thing your child does.”

Ultimately, Principe’s advice shines a spotlight on the message behind the entire Princeton Balance Speakers’ Series.

“More doesn’t mean better,” she concluded. “What you need is balance.”

To view Principe’s recent interview in This Week in Education, click here. 

For a podcast of Principe’s interview with Marty Moss-Coane on WHYY, click here.