28 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Benefits of Open-Ended Playtime
Studies show that, compared with controls, kids allowed a specific type of open-ended play time were: • More creative. On average they came up with three times as many nonstandard creative uses for specific objects (a standard lab measure) as did controls. • Better at language. The children’s use of language was more facile. They displayed a richer store of vocabulary and a more varied use of words. • Better at problem solving. This is fluid intelligence, one of the basic...Lots of boosts to a child's creativity and cognition when they are allowed free playtime.