Parents generally want their children to get outside and play, but they may prefer structured activities to those fueled by imagination, finds a new study.
Researchers from the Gallup organization, with funding by the toy company Melissa and Doug, surveyed a demographically weighted national sample of 1,271 parents and caregivers of children ages 10 and younger in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Only 1 in 5 parents reported agreeing that it can be good for children to “be bored now and then,” and only a third of parents first responded to their children expressing boredom by letting them find something to do on their own. While a majority of parents said free play led to children developing better creativity and problem-solving skills, they reported self-confidence, social skills, and academic skills were the most critical for children to develop by age 10. A majority of parents associated those skills with organized sports and structured activities rather than free play.
