{"id":3662,"date":"2017-03-31T13:11:27","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T12:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screentimelabs.com\/?p=3662"},"modified":"2022-03-18T05:39:42","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T05:39:42","slug":"encourage-unstructured-play-using-screen-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/screentimelabs.com\/blog\/encourage-unstructured-play-using-screen-time\/","title":{"rendered":"How to encourage unstructured play using Screen Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Screen Time makes getting a healthy online\/offline balance easier<\/p><\/div>\n

Imagination Building<\/strong><\/p>\n

Screen-based toys and structured activities lay out a course of action for kids to follow. There\u2019s value in that, but there\u2019s also value in allowing kids time to create their own activities with whatever materials happen to be lying around. Unstructured play encourages kids to use their imaginations and be creative, and developing creativity is important to your child\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

The child who looks at a pile of sand and sees the possibility of a castle could be the ground-breaking architect of tomorrow. The child who sets up a mock classroom to teach their dolls or pet cat today could be an innovative teacher tomorrow. Being creative and able to imagine and pretend is important for everyone. Creativity helps with problem-solving, innovation, and planning. Children who spend plenty of time on imaginative play even develop a better ability to empathize with others, as they learn the ability to imagine themselves in other people\u2019s shoes.<\/p>\n

Social Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many ways for children to socialize, from school to team activities to online interaction. However, some of the most important social learning happens when there\u2019s no adult directing the activities and no website TOS to follow.<\/p>\n

In many spaces and under many circumstances, adults create social rules for children to follow and step in to settle any conflicts that do flare up, and that\u2019s appropriate. But children also need to experience conflict and conflict-resolution on their own, within reason, and they can do that when they\u2019re able to engage in unstructured play with their peers. This helps them learn more than just how to follow social rules \u2013 it helps them learn how to build and maintain interpersonal relationships even when there are no rules, or when no one is around to enforce them.<\/p>\n

Brain Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

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