The Play Gap
BY AMANDA CIANI | PHOTO BY KLEINPETER PHOTOGRAPHY 2025–26 COVER KID ELIJAH P.
F eeding schedule logs in the hospital with a newborn baby. Lavender baths, followed by story time and then a kiss before bed. After-school snacks, followed by homework and then dance or sports practice. Yes, modern parents have read the books and blogs all about the importance and benefits of routines. But guess what? Children also need time for open-ended, unstructured, joy- ful, pure PLAY. In fact, the lack of unscheduled time for kids to be kids is such a prominent course of discussion that the phenomena has been given its own terminology: “The Play Gap.” And parents are starting to fight back against the overstructured routines! Candy Jones, the director of learning inno-
vation at Knock Knock Children’s Museum notes: “Imaginative play serves a vital role in children’s healthy development by giving them the freedom to think, create, and solve problems independently.”
extracurriculars, those, too, have undergone a seemingly generational shift of becoming more competitive. Hours of prac- tices, workouts, and endless tournaments and competitions don’t take the fun away from extracurriculars, but it definitely adds more structure and pressure to the experiences. Safety Concerns. Raised to have “stranger danger” themselves, modern parents were always taught to be cautious and safe. And in raising their own kids, if they are busy, and off the streets… they probably aren't getting into trouble!
CAUSES OF THE PLAY GAP Educational Excellence. Whether it is
kindergarten, college, or careers, academic pressures urge kids to always be ready…or to even be ahead of the game. This means hours spent studying, working with tutors, and taking on resume-building opportunities.
Extracurriculars have become “extra.” Even when it comes to modern youth
40 FEBRUARY 2026 | BRPARENTS.COM
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