For my Issues in Child Development class in the Early Childhood Education Program at Red River College, this was my final assignment. Here's my paper! Thanks to Melissa Baker for helping me proof read and edit!
Child Stress- Schedule Less & Play More
by Leah Edmonds
Globally,
parents and educators are working towards raising healthy children who are able
to live long, successful lives. We want
to give them the tools, skills and experiences that will shape their brains to
be smarter, more resilient and emotionally stable. Many of us know that early intervention practices
are vital in developing a strong foundation that children will carry with them
throughout their lives (Jamieson, 2012) . Why then with all of this information and
good-intention are today’s children more stressed than ever? According to YoungMinds,
a charity in the United Kingdom, “around one in 12 children aged 5 to 16
self-harms, a worrying 68 per cent increase over the past decade” (Buckland, 2013,para.7).
Mental Health management is as
important for children as physical health. In middle to high socio-economic status
families, one key factor contributing to highly stressed out children is the
increase in overscheduling and over-supervision
by well-meaning parents. According to Dr.
Michael Thompson, a clinical psychologist, “there is a line between a highly enriched, interesting, growth-promoting
childhood and an overscheduled childhood…and nobody knows where that line is.” (Feiler,2013, p.1). Moreover parents suffer
negative side effects when their children’s lives are heavily scheduled. Parents who feel rushed or hurried between activities
tend to be more stressed and less-patient with their children. This parental stress is likely to increase
their risk for conflict with their children leaving them feeling guilty and out
of control (Stout, 2009) .
Helicopter
parenting is also a factor related
to the increase in childhood stress levels. This style of parenting involves spending an
abundance of time with their children and micro-managing their lives during infancy,
preschool, adolescents, as well as into early adulthood. According to Hodgekiss (2013), “while some parental
involvement helps children develop, too much can make them more likely to be
depressed and less satisfied with their lives” (para.3). Early signs of
excessive stress can include, children being withdrawn or intensely avoidant,
as well as a child who openly expresses angry feelings or negative behaviors
(Kostelink, 2012).
 |
| Helicopter Parents |
Children
need to feel autonomous and in control of their lives just as much as the rest
of us (Hodgekiss, 2013) . As children enter school there are many
adversarial experiences they can face; mean friends, unsupportive teachers or
challenging classwork. If they have an
‘I can’t do it’ attitude or become defeated and discouraged quickly, they are
at risk of developing depression or other anxiety disorders in coming years. Resiliency, the ability to bounce back after
facing adversity, is a critical part of children’s development in relation to
the prevention of mental illness. Protective factors that increase a child’s resiliency
include a positive view of self, positive outlook on life, effective emotional
and behavioural regulation strategies and close relationship to responsive
caregivers (Kostelnik et. Al, 2012). According
to Price (1982) “parents need to fill a child’s self-esteem bucket so high that
the rest of the world can’t poke enough holes in it to drain it dry” (p.23). I would say this is true for all caregivers,
not just parents.
 |
| Bucket Filling |
When
parents and caregivers are confronted with startling statistics about self-harm
and anxiety their reaction is often ‘what can I do?’, ‘we need to do more!’ however,
there is considerable research supporting ‘the less is more’ mantra. Parents tend to questions this ideation, often
wondering ‘if our children are not in extracurricular activities every night of
the week, what will they do with their time?’ How can parents bond with their children
without stifling their independence? How
can we get them to grow and develop without all the stress? The simple answer is play.
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| plancanada.ca |
Play
with less structure, less scheduling, less organized activities and even less
rules; it all equals less stress. Free-play
is the key to prevent and cure childhood stress. Whether the play is dressing up, climbing
trees or finger painting, there are so many benefits to social, physical, and
intellectual development without the need for a hectic schedule. Some highlights of these benefits are
described below:
· Cognitive/Intellectual
Development
o
Understanding
the perspective of others and learning how to solve problems, creativity, and
flexibility (Dietze & Kashin, 2012).
·
Language
and Literacy Development
o
Development
of new vocabulary and ability to explore their sounds and meaning (Dietze &
Kashin, 2012)
·
Social
and Emotional Development
o
Opportunity
to feel or express a variety of emotions (Dietze & Kashin, 2012).
o
Development
of the skills needed to manage and regulate their emotions, and how to best express
them with the help of a supportive adult (Dietze & Kashin, 2012).
·
Physical
Development
o
A
healthy way of overcoming stress and crankiness (Dietze & Kashin, 2012).
o
Development
of gross and fine motor skills, locomotor and non-locomotor skills,
flexibility, coordination, balance, speed, agility, endurance and more (Dietze
& Kashin, 2012).
Free-
play outdoors in nature increases all of these benefits substantially as well
as helps to reduce symptoms of mental illness. According to Richard Louv, journalist
and author, “contact with the natural world appears to
significantly reduce symptoms of attention deficit disorder in children as
young as five.” (2011, para.5). One
school in New Zealand reduced their instances of bullying, vandalism and injury
and increased the children’s in-class concentration levels and it was not by
hovering adults and rule enforcement (Su, 2014) . On the contrary, they tore down their
playground, eliminated the rules. Replacing
them instead with loose parts such as scrap wood, fire hoses and old tires (Su, 2014) . Although
playgrounds can be found around every corner in urban settings, the outdoor
play that reaps the most rewards is in pure nature.
Another
major benefit of outdoor nature play is the increase of moderate risk. Having successful experiences with
risk-taking experiences, like hiking and tree climbing, increases children’s
confidence in what they are capable of and therefore boosting their resiliency. There are so many benefits for nature play
that a forest school movement is sweeping Western Culture. Forest School Canada defines itself as;
“An environmental education program that originated in
Europe. Students visit the same local woodland, outdoor classroom, or park on a
regular basis over an extended period of time. Through nature-based and
child-directed learning, young people develop problem-solving skills, the
ability to interact effectively with others, and knowledge across subject
disciplines.”(About Forest School, 2014, para.1).
Some
of the benefits they include in their comprehensive list are; overall
improvement in health (environmental, physical,
emotional, and mental), promotion of safe risk-taking, and reduction harmful
and hazardous behaviours, boosts self-esteem and increases school readiness (About Forest School, 2014) .
The
research presented is not implying that all parents should live with their
children in the woods but it does illustrate that there are ways to reach
developmental goals for children in a less stressful and harmful way. According to Louv (2011) vitamin ‘N’ is being
prescribed by doctors and psychologists all over the continent. The label
reads;
“Directions: Use daily, outdoors in nature. Go on a nature
walk, watch birds, and observe trees. Practice respectful outdoor behavior in
solitude or take with friends and family. Refill: Unlimited. Expires: Never.”
(Louv, 2011, para.2)
This prescription for play
should be applied in a variety of settings; at home, in your yard, in
neighborhood playground, a local forest, and anytime you’re able to leave the
city and spend time in pure nature will just melt the stress away.
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| childrensnatureinstitute.org |
Indoor
and outdoor free-play is a cost-free activity that does so much good for the whole
child while creating strong healthy family bonds. Even if the child is playing alone in their
room but is focused on their Lego construction or role playing a tea party, leaving
them alone shows them you love them by letting them be themselves. This tells them that their choices are of
value and you care about their interests.
Young
children participating in multiple activities such as sports, music, cooking,
dancing and swimming lessons comes from the knowledge that early experiences
are best but beware not to take that to the extreme. Do what feels right to you and look for cues
of stress in your children. Dr. Thompson suggests to parents to
observe, “is the child giggling when you drop them off or pick them up [from
their activities]? Or are they solemn
and dragging their feet?” (Feiler, 2013, p. 2) . Ensuring balance between your child’s
activities and downtime is the key to distressing today’s youth. Parents who are present and encourage free
play, while adding ideas and engaging in active participation are truly
promoting mental stability for their children. This
truly is the best way to shape their brains to be smarter, more resilient and
emotionally stable, which is what we all want for our future generations.
References
About Forest School. (2014). Retrieved March 14, 2014, from Forest
School Canada: http://www.forestschoolcanada.ca/home/about-forest-school
Beverlie Dietze & Diane Kashin. (2012). Play and
Learning in Early Childhood. Toronto, ON, CA: Pearson Canada Inc.
Buckland, D. (2013, August 4). Our children are more
stressed than ever. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from Express:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/419519/Our-children-are-more-stressed-than-ever
Feiler, B. (2013, October 11). Overscheduled Children:
How Big a Problem? Retrieved March 14, 2014, from New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/fashion/over-scheduled-children-how-big-a-problem.html?_r=0
Hodgekiss, H. (2013, Feb 13). Children with controlling
'helicopter parents' are more likely to be depressed. Retrieved March 14,
2014, from Mail Online:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2278596/Children-controlling-helicopter-parents-likely-depressed.html
Jamieson, J. (2012). The Science of Early Childhood
Development. Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Kostelnik, M. J., Gregory, K. M., Soderman, A. K., &
Whiren, A. P. (2012). Guiding Children's Social Development and Learning
(7th ed.). Belmont, CA, USA: Wadsworth.
Louv, R. (2011, July 6). THE “VITAMIN N” PRESCRIPTION –
Some Health Professionals Now Recommending Nature Time for Children and
Adults. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from Children and Nature Network:
http://blog.childrenandnature.org/2011/07/26/prescribing-vitamin-n-%E2%80%94-a-growing-number-of-health-professionals-are-taking-action/
Price, A. (1982). 101 Ways to boost your childs self
esteem. Nashville, TN: Ideals Publisher Inc.
Stout, H. (2009, October 21). For Some Parents Shouting
is the New Spanking. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22yell.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Su, R. (2014, January 29). New Zealand Schools Ditch
Playground Rules, See Less Bullying Among Children. Retrieved March 14,
2014, from International Business Times| Education:
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/536271/20140129/new-zealand-auckland-swanson-primary-school-bullying.htm#.UyO8-vldXZE
