Self-Regulation in Unstructured Free Play

While helping children develop motor and social skills, activities undertaken in unstructured free play also enable the child to explore new ideas and feelings and to engage in critical thinking and decision-making. These experiences will not only facilitate cognitive development but also these experiences will help the child identify preferences for coping with stressors as well as facilitating emotional development. Self-regulation is a critical component of success in compulsory education. By providing children with the opportunity to explore their emotions and to make decisions about managing stressors, self-regulation is supported, enabling the child to better manage behavior in a structured environment.

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