Free outdoor play

To many who are reading this, the benefits of free outdoor play may already be evident.  So, at the risk of preaching to the choir, I  want to highlight this benefit.

When they play, kids are not just goofing off.  They are doing serious work, and learning every minute of it.  Their job in their play is to create their own world.  Yes, this may involve actually creating physical structures, or elaborate scenes.  But, it's more than this.  They are establishing norms with their peers, creating their own culture.  If you think of a child's life and perspective, much of what they encounter is already decided for them.  Adults all around them are telling them how to be in this world. In their moments of play, they have the freedom to be what ever they want, with whatever cultural norms they establish.  Sometimes it amazes me how much time is spend on the negotiations of who is what, and in what relationship with whom.  But, that's the work.  The work is in establishing this social network.  The work is also in physically figuring out what works best on top of/beside/beneath what when building or creating.

One thing I love about free play being outside is that there is a sense of space and freedom.  When the kids are outside, they drift freely between different projects or different play cultures.  On the day this structure was built, a small group of them worked hard to figure out how to build it.  Then, they dispersed and found other things they were interested in: some chasing chickens, some chipping ice, some rolling down the hill.  Periodically, they would come back to this and make some change or addition to improve it in some way.  Or, they would talk about who lives there, and where the different rooms might be.  There are likely few things in their life that are like this.  Most times, when kids work on something, it is put away when they are "done."  It's rare that something they are working on remains for them to return to at will.  It's the nature of being outside, with lots of interesting adventures to be had, but plenty of space and no agenda ruling the time that is put into it.  It's their experience of flow.