Freezing temps led to my kids’ school being closed most of last week, and none of us were prepared for them to have so much unexpected time at home. I had my normal workload to keep up with, but they had nothing structured on the slate. We did our best—I met my deadlines, and they ended a few days with their eyes bloodshot from countless hours of building in Minecraft.
Still, with a little planning, I was sure we could have made this extra free time constructive in a different way. Child psychologist Dr. Emily W. King recently wrote about the value of helping kids make the most of free time in her newsletter Learn with Dr. Emily. “Free time allows children to feel what it’s like to be bored, which gives them a chance to work out their differences with siblings and lets them solve their own problems. Free time encourages independence, increases social skills, and builds resilience,” King wrote.
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