Podcast 490: The mental health benefits of unstructured play for young children

Pre-order my new book HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD CLEAN UP THEIR MENTAL MESS here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mentallyresilientkids.com/⁠⁠⁠+Pre-order before August 8 to get access to bonus content! SHOW DESCRIPTION: In this podcast I talk about how less free, unstructured playtime affects children’s mental health, and what we can do to improve our children’s mental resilience through encouraging free play. This is part of my summer series on brain-building activities you can do with your children to help them build up their mental resilience and manage their mental health while having fun.Read the blog here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drleaf.com/blogs/news/the-mental-health-benefits-of-unstructured-play-for-young-childrenSign up to Patreon to get access to full AD-FREE episodes, exclusive downloads, live Q&As, and more: https://www.patreon.com/drcarolineleafOFFERS FROM OUR SPONSORS:-BiOptimizer’s Magnesium Breakthrough: EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 1:50 What free play is & why it is important  6:00 How keeping our children busy affects their wellbeing & growth 11:00 Ways to encourage free play14:20 What happens when you schedule every moment of your child’s day17:25 The importance of encouraging balance in your child’s life22:32 Why we need to change the way we understand setting our child up for success26:10, 31:44 How to incorporate more free play in your child’s day39:20 Why we shouldn’t just focus on our child’s academic achievement ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:-Get my new book Cleaning up Your Mental Mess here: https://www.cleaningupyourmentalmess.com-Get a free Cleaning up Your Mental Mess workbook when you subscribe to my weekly email at drleaf.com!- Visit my website at https://drleaf.com for more free resources-Instagram: @drcarolineleaf: https://www.instagram.com/drcarolineleaf/--Facebook: Dr. Caroline Leaf: https://www.facebook.com/drleaf-Twitter: @drcarolineleaf: https://twitter.com/DrCarolineLeaf-Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/drcarolineleaf*DISCLAIMER: This podcast and blog are for educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. We always encourage each person to make the decision that seems best for their situation with the guidance of a medical professional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.