Remember the feeling of disappearing into play as a child—so absorbed you forgot about time, hunger, everything? That kind of freedom still matters. But so do the less glamorous parts of growing up: chores, routines, and responsibilities. Kids may not love them, but these structured moments help build life skills that they’ll carry forward.
The sweet spot isn’t choosing one over the other; it’s embracing both—freedom and structure, working together.
The power of structure
Most children will object to at least some must-do activities. Homework, extracurricular sports, or arts practice can be tedious at times—they are repetitive, and our brains love being exposed to new and exciting stimuli all the time. However, practising a skill until it improves can help build both confidence and patience.
And there’s more yet. “Most children benefit from structured activities because [they] establish boundaries and teach [children] that other people rely on them to do their part in a family system or classroom or team activity,” says Amanda Jones, a BC elementary teacher.
Learning, trying, failing, repeating, and experiencing both success and failure while making mistakes along the way all help shape our children’s ability to understand and employ their own unique strengths.
Learning skills on and off the clock
Learning is often framed as “work”—time spent practising and refining a skill. Even so, the concept of honing a skill has its merits, as it encourages patience and resilience, and it helps children become more confident.
Structured activities can spark creativity beyond the classroom, music hall, or sports field—but only if kids have room to roam. “Kids have to have time and space to do things outside of school or structured activities, which helps them generate ideas they may want to pursue,” says Jones.
Of course, every child is different. “Some kids really pine for team sport, for example, because they love the companionships of teammates and they love the ongoing challenge,” Jones says.
Even when the goal is skill-building, organized activities offer more than practice—they foster the value of community, healthy sportsmanship, taking turns, and supporting friends and teammates.
The role of creative expression
Let’s say there is garden work (or housework, including cooking) to be done, and you ask your children to help. You give instructions on what everyone’s job is, and off they go.
As children see an opportunity to play in just about everything they do, they may deliver on the job, but they may also come up with “better” options. (Creativity tends to bubble when we least expect it.)
Rather than quash the joy of that imaginative thinking, provide an outlet for it. Once the job is done, why not give them a space to make their own, such as a small patch of garden to design or a corner of their room to decorate just the way they like?
Don’t be surprised if play turns into something more—a project of their own. Along the way, they’ll draw on what they’ve learned, whether it’s collaboration and persistence or the patience it takes when progress doesn’t come as quickly as they’d hoped.
“We have to be creative in helping kids learn to delay gratification,” says Jones. “They need to learn that they can survive waiting, which is an uncomfortable feeling for a lot of kids.”
Fuelling the creative spark
- Create a storytelling “string” by taking turns telling a story—no idea is too outrageous or too simplistic.
- Encourage children to create art using items from the recycling bin.
- Ask open-ended questions (on any topic).
- Make greeting cards together using pencils, crayons, or paints.
- Encourage kids to help you cook and allow for their creative flair in the kitchen.
What about screens?
Speaking of gratification… Do screens help or hinder children’s creativity and skill-building, including social development? With more learning and communication happening on screens now than ever before, the question isn’t whether to include screens—it’s how to use them wisely.
“Screens have a place, because that’s how the world is,” says Jones, “but we have to be careful about it.” Young children can benefit from watching a fun show after school to unwind, but, she emphasizes, “put a time limit on it, and make it a request that is being granted.”
During the teen years, there is the added challenge of social media. Use it as an opportunity to talk about boundaries and healthy communication.
Take it outside
While indoor play has its perks (hello, pillow forts!) time outdoors offers something different. Exposure to a range of natural environmental elements—alongside regular physical movement—can help support the development of a more resilient immune system.
- Microbes in the air and soil help promote microbiome diversity, which has a positive effect on the immune system.
- Sunlight exposure (even on a cloudy day) with appropriate clothing and sunscreen protection helps with vitamin D production. This benefits immune function, strengthens bones, and helps reduce the risk of common respiratory infections.
- Time outside improves sleep quality, which also contributes to a robust immune system.
Make time for play
Children’s play is a mix of creativity and problem-solving in action. Risky play—often found outdoors in activities such as climbing, jumping, or racing on bikes or scooters—has a beneficial role in development, too, helping children test limits, build confidence, and understand their bodies in space.
What about playing together? “Playing with their parents helps some kids learn skills they can then transfer to playing with other children,” says Jones. There is a lot of learning that happens when children play together, so healthy social skills matter. “Children need to learn what a friendly overture is, how to receive feedback from others without reacting in a negative way,” says Jones.
And there is no such thing as “too basic” when it comes to playing. All forms of play contribute to learning, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be packaged as educational to be valuable.
“A child is not something to be curated into a perfect example of humanity,” says Jones. “Excessive expectations can take the fun out of experiences that are supposed to be fun for children.”
Put simply: encourage play, make space for curiosity, and watch children learn—and thrive—in the process.
Smart supplementing for kids
While a balanced diet abundant in whole foods and plenty of outdoor play remain the foundation of children’s health, there are times when nutritional gaps can occur. In some cases, vitamin and mineral supplements may be considered under professional guidance:
- Vitamin D: While exposure to sunlight and food sources such as dairy and alternatives, fatty fish, and egg yolks provide some of the so-called “sunshine” vitamin, Health Canada recommends a daily supplement beginning at birth.
- Children’s multivitamin: Supplementation is recommended in conditions of nutritional deficiencies.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: Research suggests omega-3 supplementation may offer modest benefits for attention and behaviour in some children, particularly those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- Probiotics: Certain strains may be helpful in the treatment of infectious gastroenteritis.
- Iron: Supplementation with proper medical supervision can help address iron-deficiency anemia.
This article was originally published in the August 2026 issue of alive magazine.
