Children are never out of site or unsupervised, and can safely wander a little. Learn locations in your area that are safe for your children, or you, to play. It was free, other than the drive there, and those memories are family favorites. When our children were small, Saturday was lovingly referred to as 'Park Hopping Day.' On our limited budget, we took turns choosing a location for a leisurely picnic and play. Each month we choose one weekend to leave town and live an unscheduled day together. Pick a few days a month that you and your family will not fill with activities. Here are some ideas and tips for creating moments of play in our lives and learning to live a little more in the moment and a little less by the calendar. So, knowing play is important in a fast paced world, how do we slow our lives down and create time to play? Author Hara Estroff Morano in Psychology Today explained in her article titled, 'The Power of Play,' that play is important to our physical health, brain development and increases our capacity to create, bond and find love. As the world has changed, children all over the planet have become more supervised and have less time to ponder on things around them. We were learning to work as a team on projects, learning to love nature and science and learning to create. It was safe for me and my family to wander the beaches, lie in the sand watching hermit crabs walk, explore tide pools and build forts. Years ago, the world seemed to be a different place.

Make sure it's worth watching.' What do we want our children to remember of their lives with us? When they watch their home movies will they be strapped in a car seat, eating fast food, racing to the next lesson or playing in a park? Overscheduling has decreased the chances our children will develop meaningful relationships with extended family members, and more importantly, it takes away opportunities for children to play.ĭavid Gerrard said, 'One day your life will flash before your eyes. It has reduced opportunities for children to learn to be creative, which is important. But, as a result of our living life at break neck speeds, we have increased our families' stress levels, which is not good for us physically. He reported that we do it in an effort to give our children the best experiences in life. In an article in Psychology Today, author David Elkins explored parents' over-scheduling of their children's lives. Do we really need more time, or should we examine what we do with our time? While meaning well, we often create enormous stress for them and ourselves. In an effort to be a good parent and provide the best of life's opportunities for our children, we sign them up for sports, music lessons, clubs, special school events and church activities. If you have a color-coded calendar, and feel like you spend your days transporting kids from one event to another, you may feel like time is passing faster than it should.

Have a good life flash before your eyes