Ever noticed that when children have a free moment, they complain that they're bored?

Planned activities are wonderful for children as it teaches them social skills, discipline and enhances overall learning capabilities. Their self-confidence and self-worth increases when they participate in activities. Having your child involved is great, however sometimes parents could perhaps go overboard in trying to schedule every bit of free time.

Structured Play and its Impact
Structured play (also known as guided play) refers to play experiences in which the adult has more of an input, either in initiating the play, controlling the resources available, or intervening or participating during the course of play. Extra-curricularactivities jam packed weekends and camps during holidays are examples of structured play.
However it can take a toll on kids."Many overscheduled kids are anxious, angry and burned out," notes child psychiatrist Alvin Rosenfeld, M.D., co-author of The Overscheduled Child. "They display a range of symptoms from headaches and stomachaches to temper tantrums, an inability to concentrate in school, and sleeping problems. In the long run, it may be harder for them to make confident choices and decisions about what they want to do on their own."
As parents it could become burdensome when your child is involved in too many activities. Finding the time to shuttle your child around to the different groups can be difficult, especially if some of the activities overlap one another. For those of you who are working, you may have an even harder time trying to arrange your work schedule to accommodate the demands of your child's activities.
While it is important to involve your child in structured activities, It is equally important to balance it with free play (unstructured time), where children can explore their creativity, use their imagination and explore the world around them.

What is Unstructured Play and How Does it Help Children?
If a child is playing and establishing his or her own objectives, then he or she is engaging in unstructured play. During empty hours, children explore the world at their own pace, develop their own unique set of interests and indulge in the sort of fantasy play that will help them figure out how to create their own happiness, handle problems with others on their own, and sensibly manage their own time. That's a critical life skill.
Research suggests that children who do not have the opportunity to control their own actions, to make and follow through on their own decisions, to solve their own problems, and to learn how to follow rules in the course of play; grow up feeling like they are not in control of their own lives and fate. They grow up feeling that they are dependent on luck and on the goodwill of others.
Consider the number of extra-curricular activities that your child is involved in. If your child isn't taking joy in the activities or if the activities are eating all of your child's free time, it can be helpful to drop one or some. Furthermore, if you are having a hard time managing the various pickups and drops, or if financially it might be causing you a strain or perhaps even having difficulty in juggling everyday tasks, it would be helpful to take a step back and reassess what is really important.

Some examples of unstructured play
Facilitating unstructured play has no perfect method. There is really only one rule - try not to interfere with your child's natural process; meaning:

•  Do not make any rules

•  Try not to guide and control the activity
  
  
• Allow your child some time to entertain himself/herself, be it playing house-house or taking part in dress up, running races and detective games or imitating the cartoons that they watch. Dramatic play props like hats, sarees, raincoats, crowns, kitchen and doctor sets etc are of high interest to the younger children as pretend play develops children's social skills.

• Wooden blocks are always a hit with young children. Children can build anything they want with blocks and use their imagination.

•  Squishing play dough is another unstructured play activity that younger children love. You can add simple kitchen props such as plastic knives, strainer, plastic cups and plates and a rolling pin, young children will stay busy simply manipulating dough into different shapes.

• Spending time with grandparents, cousins and other members of the extended family can help your child be more open around others and gradually begin to build a stronger bond with them as well.

• You can also involve your child in household responsibilities; be it laying the table, folding the clothes, watering the plants/garden, doing a certain amount of dusting to helping with pet responsibilities if you have one at home.

• Older children can get involved with grocery shopping, lending a helping hand in the kitchen, washing their cycles, making their beds and arranging their cupboards.

• Let your child go a little outside your comfort zone. Consider that a child taking calculated risks in the natural environment may learn and improve their judgment. For example; it is ok if they get messy, break or tear something, fall down while running freely or attempt to climb a tree and get scratched.

• Practice letting your child be bored. As you might remember from your childhood, perhaps you didn't need to have every moment scheduled, and, in fact, some of the best creativity comes from being bored.

The important thing that you as a parent need to remember is that children need some time to just be kids. They need time to sit around and hang out with their friends. They need time to go outside and ride bikes, play sports, talk to themselves and play with objects that have meaning in their lives.
"Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul." Friedrich Froebel (founder of the concept of kindergarten)

To learn more about this you may read the article "Fun Activities for Children"