On the Coast – Families Issue 103 I December 19/January 20 | Page 32

R E A DY S T E A DY G O K I D S
What’s better...
structured or free play?
S
tructured play vs. free play!
Somewhere along your parenting
journey you’ll come across these
two words and begin to wonder which is
more valuable than the other. At Ready
Steady Go we value them both and that’s
why you’ll notice an element of each
within a Ready Steady Go session.
Structured play, or “play with a
purpose,” is any activity that offers your
child a specific learning objective, for
example in a Ready Steady Go setting the
goal would be to learn to throw a ball.
Structured play activities and games that
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ON T H E C OA S T – FAM ILIES
are generally instructor-led where the
instructor sets the tone for the play. While
an activity is ‘structured’ it doesn’t
necessarily mean it’s not fun. At Ready
Steady Go you’ll see ‘structured play’ in a
variety of the gross motor skills being
learnt. And as a parent, you can feel
confident your little one is slowly acquiring
those skills, while still having fun.
Free play, on the other hand, centres
on non-structure where kids are free to
let their imaginations and creativity run
wild as they enjoy the moment they’re
in. Children are naturally motivated to
play. That’s why you’ll see fun elements
during a Ready Steady Go session that
targets this component of ‘free play’.
Not only is your little one discovering
and developing through play, but when
they’re having fun, they’re more likely
to create positive associations with that
activity and want to do it over and over
again. You’ll see this kind of ‘free play’
at a Ready Steady Go session when the
instructor throws all the balls in the air
and the kids have to scamper off to get
it, or when the instructors are playfully
chasing the kids, or during any of the