Take a moment and imagine the bugle has just blown and it’s
the start of Free Swim. Your son is feeling tired from the morning’s activities
but wants to hang with his friends. He meets up with everyone outside the cabin
and a couple of his friends suggest going to the climbing tower. Your son knows
he doesn’t have the energy to climb the tower. He is flooded with different
emotions, about being the one who says no to the activity and not wanting to
miss out on the fun but also really not wanting to go. What does he do? How does he handle it?...
At William Lawrence Camp, Free Swim is the time each day
where the boys experience absolute control over how they spend their time.
After spending the morning and early afternoon in instructional activities and
knowing that their evening already has a plan, Free Swim is their opportunity for
two hours of unstructured activities. The boys can go from one area of camp to
another at a whim. They can hang with one group of friends then join another or
even meet someone new. This unstructured time is vital for their development.
Katie Hurley, LCSW, writes in her article Summertime
Solutions: The Benefits of Unstructured Play, “…unstructured play
increases executive function skills such as organizing, staying focused,
initiating tasks, self-regulation of emotions, and self-monitoring or the
ability to keep track of what you’re doing.” Think back to your son standing
with his group of friends debating whether to go to the climbing tower or not.
He’s learning to regulate his emotions and check-in with his body. Hurley also
says, “Through the context of unstructured play, groups of kids learn to share
and verbalize their ideas, work together, and resolve disputes.” Your son is
going to voice his thoughts and the boys are going to work together to decide
what to do. We can provide evidence of that on the ball field, outside the
cabin, down at the waterfront, just about anywhere on camp, campers are
gathering in small groups and increasing their executive functions while figuring
out what to do during Free Swim.
I know there are some parents out there thinking to
themselves, “2 hours of free swim? But what if my son gets bored?” Our response
to that is, “excellent!” In the Time Magazine article, How
We're Endangering our Kids' Imaginations, Melissa Berstein says
“…they desperately need more free time to ignite their imaginations, develop a
sense of wonder, and discover their passions and purpose. Inventiveness occurs
when kids have time for curiosity and exploration.” By allowing the boys to be
bored for a few minutes, we are asking them to use their imaginations and
creativity to entertain themselves. The Time Magazine article The
Secret Power of Play says, “Children who can entertain themselves,
or play with one another, are unconsciously learning how to adapt themselves to
challenges they’ll face further down the road.” With no structure for two
hours, WLC boys need to decide what they want to do and then make it happen, a
concept that will be recurring in their lives.
We believe that Free Swim may just be the one of the most
important times of growth for your son. Walking around camp during Free Swim
you will observe a small group of boys sitting together at the green chairs sharing
books, you will see the shy boy challenging himself on the climbing tower, two
friends figuring out how to play tetherball, a parade of boys walking down to
the waterfront, an exuberant game of gaga, boys lounging on sail boats and
paddle boards in the middle of the lake just chatting and enjoying each other
and the weather. Wherever you look you will see boys growing, developing and
experiencing life. Your don’t have to take our word on how important this is;
Alison Hail writes in her article What The Power Of Play Truly
Means For Your Child, “Free play has the potential to significantly
reshape and strengthen neural circuits of the brain, leading to increased
perception and intuition, as well as to greater recall.” And who doesn’t want
that for their child!?
Articles Referenced in this blog post:
https://www.kidskintha.com/power-of-play-2/Written by Jessica Dawson, WLC Camper Development Coordinator
