Play – what is it exactly? And how is it important?
In the world of dance lessons, soccer games, karate classes and baseball leagues, children are participating in structured play, which involves adult-directed activities and isimportant as it builds physical health. But in many families, structured play is overtaking the other important type of play – free play, in which children choose what and how to play without adult direction. Free play builds brain cells, increases cognitive skills and helps children develop social skills.
Alex Wolfe, assistant professor and director of the Exercise Science Program at University of Illinois Springfield, was part of a research study looking at free play in children ages 3-5. As part of the study conducted at Illinois State University, children wore monitors that recorded their physical activity during various types of play – creating, exploring, acting and just doing normal activities such as walking. The research also compared playing with others, playing with others nearby, or playing by oneself.
It turns out free play may do more than thought.
“Previous research has shown that free play has physical, cognitive and social benefits,” Wolfe said. “My study showed that the type of activity youth engage in varies in the amount of activity they accumulate throughout the day and that free play may assist youth in obtaining the daily recommended amount of physical activity. This may ultimately lead to improved health and wellbeing in our youth population.”
This makes recess at school, which is free play, even more important. Studies have shown that recess can help children increase learning, develop social skills and improve classroom behavior. Many school districts across the U.S. have reduced or cut out recess to provide more time for academics, a practice which may actually hurt rather than help school performance.
Mason Kuhn, director of the UIS School of Education, teaches a methods course for prospective science teachers, giving them experiences that can be used with future elementary students. The method combines free play with structured lessons.
“Let’s say we are teaching energy transfer,” he said. “We flip the typical science unit that starts with memorizing terms and instead start with play time. We put matchbox cars on the floor and tell the students to play; they are having fun and become more engaged; suddenly, a few are ramming their cars into each other. At that point, we stop and introduce questions – what made the car go backwards when it was hit, etc.”
Students then design their own experiments (employing creative free play), argue over ideas of why certain things happen and develop a creative project.
Gregg “Bagel” Johnson, dean of the UIS College of Public Affairs and Education, said play is extremely important in education. “We need to expand how we think about play and its role,” Johnson said. “UIS serves as examples for others. We teach techniques, students practice and experiment, and we use simulation, which is just a fancy word for play. There is a lot happening to ensure play is part of learning.”
So, how can parents encourage free play at home? Set out different items – blocks, toy cars, crayons and paper, animal figures, dress up clothes, etc. Let children choose what they want to do, and let them explore and be creative. Don’t interfere or direct.
“Let children play with blocks; don’t show them how to stack them, do it for them, or correct what they are doing,” said Leah Wilson, executive director of Kidzeum of Health and Science in downtown Springfield. “This is how they learn cause and effect and how to think on their own.”
Let children play on their own, with, of course, safety oversight, which helps them learn self-direction. Invite friends over for free playtime, which can help children learn how to get along with others.
Also, get involved with the play yourself. Stack your own blocks, move cars around and ask questions such as “How did you make the castle so big?” or “What do you think these animals are doing?”
Finally, parents need to find balance for themselves and their children. Sports and other structured activities provide many benefits; giving equal attention to free play builds important learning skills.
Cinda Ackerman Klickna, a former teacher, is interested in finding out more about what is happening at UIS. In the meantime, she continues to try out fun, free and structured play with her three grandsons.
This article appears in Parent Winter 2026.
