Let Grow – promoting children’s independence and right to play
Not long ago, childhood looked different. Kids walked to school. They played until the streetlights came on. They argued, negotiated, failed, and figured things out – mostly without adults hovering nearby. Then something changed. Fear crept in. News headlines got louder. Laws got stricter. Parenting slowly turned into supervision-as-a-full-time-job. Childhood became scheduled, padded, and watched […]
The Anxious Generation – and why this book matters for free play
Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist who has spent decades studying moral development, social behavior, and the changing nature of childhood. His book The Anxious Generation has sparked a global conversation about why anxiety and depression have risen so sharply among children and teenagers over the past decade. The book argues that a major shift […]
Reclaiming the Street for Play — the Story of Playing Out
In many modern towns and cities, urban design works in subtle ways that limit children’s free-play. Houses are often built with private backyards that are fenced in or small, meaning each child is isolated in their own garden. Meanwhile the street — once a natural playground — has become dominated by fast traffic. For many […]
Taking Kids’ Smartphones Away Is Not Enough
There’s growing momentum around the idea that we’re giving kids smartphones—and access to the internet and social media—far too early. Countries like Denmark are beginning to act on this, with proposals to delay smartphone use until children are older. The concerns are serious and well-founded: rising rates of anxiety, depression, attention issues, and loneliness in […]
Lack of Free Play: A Major Cause of Childhood Anxiety
We’re in the middle of a childhood mental health crisis, and if you look closely, the roots stretch beyond diagnoses and labels. They dig into everyday life—screen time, school pressures, over-involved parents, and ultra-structured schedules. But there’s one cause hiding in plain sight, and it may be the most important one of all: the decline […]
Are Kids Getting Older Younger?
Childhood today looks very different from what it did a generation ago. Many children now get smartphones by age 10, giving them access to a constant stream of information—news, social media, influencers, and trends that once belonged firmly in the adult world. Some say this early exposure is forcing kids to grow up too fast, […]
Free Play talk at Zielona Hustawka Preschool
Last week, we had the chance to visit Zielona Hustawka Preschool and host a conversation with local parents about something simple but important: play. More specifically, Free Play — the kind of open-ended, unstructured play many of us remember from our own childhoods. We started the session by asking everyone to think back: “What’s one […]
Free Play – The Hidden Engine of Innovation
Imagine a sandbox. The child dips their hands into the sand, builds a tower, knocks it down, adjusts, rebuilds—but there’s no explicit instruction, no predetermined outcome, just curiosity, exploration and freedom. That very sandbox is a micro‑laboratory for innovation. That’s what free play is: spontaneous, self‑directed, open‑ended. And I’m going to argue that this kind […]
Don’t let a little mess stop a playdate
One one of the biggest obstacles to free play? Us. Specifically, the way we overthink playdates. Too often, we turn a simple opportunity for free play into an event. And in doing so, we sometimes end up avoiding playdates altogether. Let’s rethink that. The Real Obstacle to Free Play When thinking of inviting our children’s […]
Three Faces of Free Play: How Kids Grow Through Solo, Partner, and Group Play
Free play — unstructured, child-led play without adult direction — is more than just fun. It’s a natural lab where kids grow creativity, empathy, and social smarts. But not all free play looks the same. It changes depending on how many children are involved. Let’s look at the three main types of free play and […]