In the 21^st century, with our harried and nonstop family lifestyles, many temptations can lure your kids away from play. Television, computer games and smartphones all aim to capture a significant portion of kids’ attention. Advertisers and retailers are increasingly reaching out to younger and younger kids in an effort to convince them or their parents to buy new electronic products. In this push for kids to have more and more screen time, we’re neglecting one of the most important elements of their development: time to play.

Why is playing important?What are the benefits of playground equipment for our child Play is so essential for child development around the world that the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights recognizes it as a right of every child. Play is critical for kids to develop the emotional, social and creative thinking skills they’ll need when they’re adults. Play allows them to engage with their surrounding environment and with others in their community in a fun context. It enables them to explore ideas and different ways to behave, testing their boundaries and growing in the process.

So what exactly defines play, and why is it crucial? Experts define play as “any spontaneous or organized activity that provides enjoyment, entertainment, amusement or diversion.” All play is valuable, but free, unstructured play might be the most crucial. It allows kids to be independent, to learn how to make decisions on their own to achieve a result.

An internal monologue of a kid at play might go something like this: “Should I go down the slide? It looks awfully steep. It’s kind of scary. But I want to try, so I’ll do it.” In that simple act of going down the slide, they’re learning the basics of many critical skills they’ll need later in their adult lives. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of play in child development.