Esther Rantzen thinks that children don't have enough time to 'just play' - how often do yours 'just play'?

[Enid]

Mine muck about around the house and garden every day after school (7 year old finishes at 3, 4 year old finishes at 1.30), except Tuesdays (7 year old - riding) and Fridays (both ballet, 7 year old swimming). Saturday mornings the 4 year old goes swimming and the 7 year old sees her reading tutor. No other organised activities except playdates.

Tuesday is a shocker for us (chess clup BEFORE school, swimming after school followed by quick dinner and out to soccer training at 6.30pm)
Thursday is soccer training at 6.30pm
Sunday morning is soccer match

Other than that, nothing.

DD does playgroup (with me) on a wednesday, swimming on a Thursday at 10am. Rest of the time she PLAYS!

dd1 goes to playgroup every day 2 mornings, 3 full days) and then can do whatever. Has ballet on Saturday for an hour

dd2 goes to playgroup 3 mornings

we don't organise anthing (wonders if this is good or bad...)

mine 'just fight and strop'

Thats a ridiculous comment from Ms Rantzen. I think most parents have a good mix of organised things such as clubs (my eldest has 3 a week) and the rest of the time they just amuse themselves either withe friends, family or by themselves.
My youngest plays all bloody day.......

(I wish i could.......)

All the time bar preschool. Where he 'just plays' too. I'd like to get him into some clubs when he's a bit older, but he's only 4, he goes to school this year - I like to watch him play "Mummy cat and baby cat" with his cuddlies, and I like to watch ds2 stand adoringly next to the hoover, chanting the holy song "Hvvvvvvvvvv! Hhhhhhvvvvvvvvv! mmmmmmmnnnhhhhhvvvvvvvv!"

Mine play a lot, it's lovely. It's important.

Mine kind of roll about on the floor nd injure each other. Sometimes I say things like "come on, make a card for Nanny's birthday!"

We don't do any organized activities at all. My eldest has had swimming lessons, but that about it. We do have a great big hole in the back garden atm, and that's been throughly made use of by the eldest three.

mine all the time- but i feel i am crticised for it by other mums

children

1. extra french one day a week at school (14)
2. extra maths one day a week at school(12)
3. soccer/cricket one day a week at school(10)
4. montessori nursery 3 days - no extra curricular(4)
5. play/sleep all day no activities at all!!!(15months)

Bloody nice my kids

I am the master of understimulation!!

I don't know who Esther Rantzen is. Is she some recognised authority on child rearing? Perhaps being overseas, I just don't know about her. I think she may well be right. Perhaps they have too much homework these days and too many other demands on their time. My dd gets bored with too much free time. She'll grab a practice book for maths or something and do that.

So whose kids dont just play?

What are these mythical kids doing all day?

Don't tell me that she is making this sweeping statement based on, shock, a few overbooked children of overachievers?

(note must change name back)

every day except Tuesdays (gym) and Thursdays (swimming)

mine lark about all the bleeding time - play in the street, run in and out of other people's houses. They have a great time.

Mine don't even do half as much as the previous posters.

dd is 6 and does one activity after school and has a friend over/goes to a friend's house about once a week . ds is 3 and we go to Toddler group, the park every so often.

Mine play from the moment they wake up until they go to bed (with some tv in between of course - and quite a lot shouting and fighting too!)

Suebaroo

I also have a hole in my back garden, and it's got stones in it, with little eyes drawn on. Ds1 says it's their potty.

'things' most of my kids friends cannot come to tea on the spur of the moment

kids do actib=vities - dance- swim-tutor-flute-riding-piano-athletics

No time for firing of the imagination in my book

I think that's really true that lots of children don't 'just play'. I definitely try and make sure there is time for just mucking round the house and garden, and as for mud, it is a very important part of dd's life! She is never happier than when in a pile of mud in her 'booties' as she calls her wellies. But some of my friends' children are very over-timetabled imo.

Our timetable (term time, holidays are different)

Monday Am - Ds1 School, Dd Playgroup/Activity Ds2 Activity
PM - DS1 School, Dd play at home, Ds2 nap
After school - go to friend's house

Tuesday Am - Ds1 School, Dd Gymnastics, Ds2 gymnastics
PM - As Monday
After school - Ds1 Gymnastics, Dd and Ds2 play in the foyer at gym!

Wednesday AM Ds1 School, Dd Playgroup or Swimming, Ds2 Swimming
PM As Monday
After School - Ds1 did have after school club, but from now to the end of term we're going to do things like going to the zoo!

Thursday AM Ds1 School, Dd Playgroup, Ds1 play at home
PM As Monday
After school - Playdate usually

Friday Am As Thursday
PM As Thursday
After school - play at home

Saturday AM - Swimming - then free for the rest of the day

Sunday AM - church, then free

Seems to me this is one of those ridiculous statements churned out by the media to make grandparents suck their teeth and nod. Not like it was in my day, I knew that daughter in law of mine makes them do too much etc etc etc

Yes but Otter it may just SEEM like they can't come to tea but really the activities are just on different days? So the kids arent actually doing that much.

I must say I do know someone who without fail books her kids into sports/activity clubs all holiday, he never has a day to muck about in half term or Easter or summer come to think of it.

There is an enormous amount of 'just playing' going on in the Issy[mum] household. The DDs (nearly 5 and 6.5) have no after-school and no weekend activities. None. Nada. Nothing. Of course we do stuff as a family, generally involving wet kagoules, soggy sandwiches and instructive, non-child-focussed points of interest (see threads passim). We have also carefully devised a period of unstructured and unsupervised play for weekend mornings between the hours of 7am and 9.30am, during which we force ourselves to hide under our duvet in order to provide an appropriate environment in which the DDs can enhance their independence and creativity.

Yay, Issy. Lovin the new focused, short, sharp name

Mine play a lot. As a rule they'd rather muck about at home than do organised things, though a balance is okay I think. They don't get to do much 'free range' play though - I mean out and about where I can't see them - but I wish they could.

i work on playschemes and we now have to provide 'free play' where the children can do whatever they like, which is fine in theory but some children do like the structure.

but so we can tick all the governments boxes on the new play criteria we have to change them.

My kids do nothing much extra curricular either. The 6 and 4 year old go to school and then have swimming on a Saturday morning. ds2 is 23 months and does Tumble Tots once a week when the other two are at school. It means that at weekends we have time to just chill out and do whatever as a family. They play a lot and generally like each other's company.

Me too! I'm just wondering for how long I need to refer back to Issy[mum]. It's a bit like going from 'Marathon' to 'Snickers' but without the handy peanut-enhanced brown packaging to give you a clue.

[suspicious]