Nerdy Millennial

Top Menu

  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Main Menu

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Nerdy Millennial

Nerdy Millennial

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
EducationFeaturedParenting
Home›Education›Free-Range Kids: 7 Ways to Encourage School-Aged Kids to be Curious and Independent

Free-Range Kids: 7 Ways to Encourage School-Aged Kids to be Curious and Independent

By Craig A. Knippenberg, LCSW, M.Div.
January 9, 2020
439
0

At our recent holiday family reunion, my niece, a new mother, was allowing her 6-month-old baby to crawl across the top of a long sprawling kitchen table. We were all delighted and joy-filled when mom exclaimed: “She’s a free-range kid”. While not yet aware of the term or parenting philosophy, coined by Lenore Skenazy (founder of The Let Grow Project), she’s already on the right track. She will teach her school-aged kids how to be curious about their environment and become independent children and young adults.

All children are born to explore and learn about their environment. What my niece knows intuitively is that this path of independence must start early and continue as children grow and mature. While your first job is to keep your child safe and alive, after that, your role becomes raising a responsible, socially connected, independent adult.

Child-led free-play allows your child to develop many crucial developmental skills. Research finds benefits such as increases across several areas, such as social performance, group negotiation skills, bonding chemicals, emotional awareness/empathy, goal-setting abilities, and problem-solving capabilities as well as a reduction in stress hormones, better collaboration with others, greater confidence higher overall academic performance.

To take advantage of these benefits and continue down my niece’s path, here are some important tips to follow:

1. Ditch the use of “play date”

While children’s free time is consumed with homework and extracurricular activities that require adult organization/transportation, the term itself suggests that parents are in control of the time, place, and content of the play. As my mom simply said when I was growing up: “Go play”. It was then up to us to find something to do and someone to play with. We just had to be home by the designated time.

2. Limit Electronics

Electronic gaming is all the rage with kids today. While a short amount of time (20-30 minutes a day) has been found to be beneficial for stress, once you pass that, the dopamine frenzy that games are designed to hijack kicks in.

Children can’t get off the games due to their state of hyper-focus. They can also experience mood swings and regulation issues when stopping along with increased stress hormones which interfere with academic studies. Nighttime gaming can also disrupt sleep.

Finally, while a group of kids gaming in-person together for a reasonable amount of time can develop some of the social skills listed above, online gaming by one’s self in a room alone won’t. Your child needs real-life interactions to stimulate the social brain.

3. Social Media is not free–play

I strongly recommend waiting until high school before giving your child a Smartphone. For support, check out www.waituntil8th.org.

4. Assess your child’s impulse control

Some children have better neurological abilities to control their impulses when a decision could be dangerous or have negative repercussions. The general rule of thumb is the less internal control your child has, the more external structure they need.

Some children do need more guidance, rules, and detailed consequences before entering the free-play world. Depending on your individual child’s abilities, all children in the family may not necessarily have the same rules.

Free-Range Kids: 7 Ways to Encourage School-Aged Kids to be Curious and Independent

5. Outside

Free-play outside reaps even more benefits. Playing in the sun increases serotonin levels for happier moods, decreases stress/anxiety, and increases concentration. Playing in the grass helps your child soak up important environmental microbes.

Cardiovascular activities boast tremendous benefits for your child’s brain development, due to increased blood flow and oxygen. Laughing with one’s friends increases bonding and creates beneficial dopamine levels.

Related Article: Learn How To Make Your Own DIY Travel Activity Kits For Your Kids!

6. Empower other adults

Let neighbors and other parents know they are free to contact you should free-play become out of hand. It takes a village to raise a child and other adults' eyes on the action can minimize problems.

7. One new independent activity

Lenore Skenazy recommends recalling the independent activities in which you engaged as a child (i.e. riding your bike around the neighborhood, walking the dog, or making your own meals), and then creating a plan to increase your child’s independence.


Craig A. Knippenberg, LCSW, M.Div. is a Denver-based mental health therapist and consultant who has garnered distinct expertise working with children and families throughout his four decades in private practice. He also has served as a school consultant for 30+ years, including more than 20 at one of Denver’s leading private elementary and middle schools. Citations contained herein also can be found in his recently released book, Wired and Connected: Brain-Based Solutions To Ensure Your Child’s Social and Emotional Success, (Denver, Illumify Global Media, 2019), 160-167. For more information, please visit www.wiredandconnected.com, or, www.craigknippenberg.com.

Related posts:

  1. 5 Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Enjoy Reading
  2. Teaching Children At Natural Development Points
  3. The 7 Money-Saving Strategies Every Parent Needs to Know

You Might Also Like...

  • 5 Major Reasons Why Women Cheat
    DatingFeaturedRelationships

    5 Major Reasons Why Women Cheat

  • Manifestation With Moon Water
    FeaturedSpirituality

    Manifestation With Moon Water: Plus How to Make Moon Water

  • At HomeFeaturedInterior Design

    What’s In and What’s Out: 2021 Interior Design Trends

  • How to Get Into Ketosis in 24 Hours
    FeaturedKeto

    How to Get Into Ketosis in 24 Hours: 6 Methods that Actually Work

About Nerdy Millennial

This blog all about millennials sharing their passion, ideas, and expertise about blogging, healthy living, self-improvement, education, parenting, and more!

Interested in contributing? Contact us to pitch your idea or submit an article.

Featured Posts

FeaturedHealth and Fitness

7 Tips for Hitting Your Goals

It can be so hard to define and work towards the goals that you have set for yourself. It’s very easy to daydream, to stare into the sky, and picture ...
  • Developing a Present Moment Connection with Your Baby In Utero

    Developing a Present Moment Connection with Your Baby In Utero

    By Contributing Author
    June 5, 2022
  • The 5 Benefits Of Fishing From A Kayak

    The 5 Benefits Of Fishing From A Kayak

    By Contributing Author
    April 25, 2022
  • Treating PCOS-Related Infertility With Weight Loss Surgery

    Treating PCOS-Related Infertility With Weight Loss Surgery

    By Dr. Laura July
    April 15, 2022
  • DIY Wall String Art for Beginners

    DIY Wall String Art for Beginners

    By Ian Walsh
    April 8, 2022
  • How to Practice Gratitude in 2022

    How to Practice Gratitude in 2022

    By Dr. Krishna Bhatta
    April 8, 2022
  • 10 Ways Women Can Advance the Gender Equality Movement — Today

    By Contributing Author
    April 7, 2022
  • Are Cheat Meals or Cheat Days Allowed on Keto?

    Are Cheat Meals or Cheat Days Allowed on Keto?

    By Ian Walsh
    April 2, 2022
  • Why You Should Thoroughly Embrace Your Geeky Interests

    Why You Should Thoroughly Embrace Your Geeky Interests

    By Contributing Author
    March 9, 2022
  • Soaked Grain Recipes

    24 Super Simple Soaked Grain Recipes

    By Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
    January 31, 2022

Join Us on Facebook

Search

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Write For Us
  • Comment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional cookies Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}