My name is Lukasz, founder of Play Drive. I was raised by a single mom in an apartment block in Poland during the 80s. Despite not having siblings I never felt lonely because there were always children around, ready to play. We spontaneously formed packs, explored the neighborhood and hung from monkey bars – the central meeting spot.
I know it’s a common bias to perceive one’s own childhood through rose-tinted glasses. Yet, when I see today’s children spending so much time supervised by adults and entertained by devices, I can’t help to feel that they are missing out on something deep and important.
As a father of two restless rascals, I do my best to bring independent play into their lives by organizing play opportunities with their friends.
What I find concerning is that play is disappearing from our surroundings. When I encourage my kids to spend time outside, they often return saying – there’s no one there to play with.
I believe that as a society, we need to introduce systemic initiatives to help kids access free play. I’ve started Play Drive to raise a voice – here, I will share research on it’s many benefits, bring attention to it’s decline but also show solutions from those bringing it back.
The term “Play Drive” reflects children’s natural instinct to engage in self-directed play. As other social mammals, through play, we develop the interpersonal and physical skills that help us thrive in life.
The first step to any change is awareness. I hope to inspire others to recognize free play as something we need to preserve for our children’s wellbeing.
Lukasz Liebersbach
