Like most animals, humans are characterized in their early years by an apparently unmotivated and natural activity we call play. For non-human species, this mainly takes the form of rough and tumble interactions between peers. For children, these basic physical activities are soon replaced by more sophisticated play, such as exploratory role-playing and story–like games. It’s no coincidence that this is the stage when human language starts to really develop.

Despite appearances, play isn’t just about having fun. There is now consistent evidence that both spontaneous and guided (ie adult-facilitated) play is linked to significant gains in vocabulary, increased mental and social skills, enhanced creative thinking, and expansion of the capacity to tolerate delays and to control aggression.

Participating in unstructured activity, regardless of form, is essential for long-term development in children. There is no type of unstructured activities of lesser value, and research shows that all forms aid cognitive development (learning and problem solving), social development (interacting with others), physical development (both large and fine muscle control) and emotional development (the ability to understand others’ feelings).

Over the last fifty years a number of theorists have sung the praises of ‘learning by doing’, or ‘experiential learning’. The renowned Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget was one of the first, concluding from his extensive research that it is a vital component of normal child development. He discovered that as well as giving children a chance to exercise their muscles and lungs, physical outdoor play stretched children’s imaginations and social interactions (Piaget, 1962).

Additionally, in a recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, it was stated that ‘play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity and physical, cognitive and emotional strength’ (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006, p3). We could list numerous other studies that support findings like this, including many of our own.

In our work with children, we see the benefits of experiential learning with our own eyes. We work with families from all backgrounds and find the same results, over and over. When given more time and freedom to explore, create and discover for themselves, children develop more sophisticated language skills, superior cognitive abilities, improved social interaction and self-control, and better physical skills.

All of which is great news. But what do mums thank us for the most? That their child just seems happier.