More and more children struggle with anxiety and other mental health problems. The causes are worth looking for in their everyday lives: in screen time, school pressure, overprotection and overly busy schedules. One cause is easy to overlook and may be very important: the loss of free play.
Anxiety has many sources, from poor diet to sensory overload. But if we take a wider view, we can see that by taking away children’s time to play, we have also taken away a natural way for them to build resilience.
The many sources of childhood anxiety
These are the factors that most often feed anxiety in children:
- Diet. A diet high in sugar and low in fibre worsens mood.
- Too little movement. Exercise lowers stress. When children move too little, tension and low mood come more easily.
- Too much screen time. Constant screen use overstimulates, and real life seems boring and stressful by comparison.
- Too little time in nature. Less time outdoors means less sunlight and movement, and more stress.
- Overprotection. When parents solve every problem for their child, the child learns that the world is dangerous and that they can’t cope on their own.
- Expectations that are too high. When children carry their parents’ ambitions or the pressure to be perfect, they feel they will never be good enough.
Each of these factors matters, but they don’t all share the same root. Diet is a separate issue. Screens partly take up time that children used to spend playing. Lack of movement, little time outdoors, overprotection and over-scheduling, on the other hand, have one thing in common: children have less and less time and opportunity to play their own way, with other children, outdoors.
What free play is
Free play is play that children start themselves and decide for themselves how it unfolds. It’s messing about in the mud, climbing trees, rough-and-tumble, cycling and running around until dark. Trips planned by adults and activities led by adults are not free play.
In this kind of play children learn to cope with stress, solve problems and manage their emotions. This happens in several ways.
1. Play builds emotional resilience
Pretending, exploring and small risks help children get used to difficult emotions such as fear or frustration. In play, children work through their problems.
2. Play strengthens independence
In play children make decisions and settle conflicts themselves. This gives them a sense that they can influence what happens. That feeling protects against anxiety.
3. Play creates bonds
Playing together teaches empathy and cooperation. First friendships protect against loneliness and anxiety.
4. Play develops skills
By trial and error, children learn new things and grow in confidence. Every small success in play later helps them face real challenges.
Why children need a certain amount of risk
One of the most underrated benefits of play is contact with risk. Small risks, such as climbing high or riding a bike fast, teach children to cope with stress. Without these experiences it is harder for them to learn to manage their emotions.
Modern childhood has become very safe and very structured. Tablets have replaced climbing trees, organised sport has replaced outdoor play, and adult-led activities have replaced making up their own games. Children who haven’t had the chance to practise everyday difficulties in play are more easily overwhelmed when they meet them for real.
What parents can do
Cutting screen time or changing diet helps, but it isn’t enough. Children also need freedom: to move, explore, make mistakes and make a mess. In practice this means:
- letting children play without constant supervision
- leaving room for boredom, because boredom with other children turns into play
- making sure there is time for free play outdoors every day
- treating play as seriously as lessons and extra activities
You can read more about why children need friends and a place to play in our article “Taking children’s smartphones away is not enough”.