Even “rough play,” which O’Hare said parents can be quick to stop, could help development in terms of allowing a child to learn “how to manage their body, strength, balance [and] risk,” for example.
O’Hare backs his argument with research
O’Hare referred to research published in 2019 by the University College London’s Institute of Education, which found that schoolchildren aged 5-7 had 45 minutes less break time than kids in 1995. The research concluded that shortening school break times in England could be harming children’s development.
O’Hare also argued that trying to fill a child’s time is the wrong thing to do. Boredom can actually help them develop imagination.
“Having downtime, having time where’s there’s boredom is actually pretty good, in terms of managing and learning to entertain yourself, to be creative, to problem solve,” he said.
