Why we do it
Child-directed play: the play that evolves when children choose what to play and make up their own rules for how to play.
Years of research show conclusively that child-directed play... fosters the development of the whole child – children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills; contributes to school success; and is a necessary and important part of every child's life. Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills. When play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.
When children play this way they
- Figure out things out for themselves
- Learn how to take healthy risks
- Find innovative ways to think about the world and how it works, based on their own self-led, intrinsically motivated interests
- Practice necessary skills such as overcoming obstacles, creative problem solving (on their own or with other children), communicating their feelings effectively with others, and working with those who may have difference points of view.
- Experience the joy of self discovery, the thrill of being able to pursue their own creative ideas without the dear of failure that usually arises when there is one, predetermined way to be “right” or to “win”.
Children are experts in their own play. Follow their lead and when invited, Play Along!
Who We Are:
The City PlayCorps is for Everyone
The City PlayCorps is a non profit group of trained advocates for children learning and growing through play. We are funded through generous donations, grants and fees for our services. We strive to offer free play experiences to underserved communities whenever possible but sometimes we need to charge a fee. We are located in Lawrence, KS and serve the communities in NE Kansas and NW Missouri.
We offer playgrounds to children and training to adults. Everyone has something to learn here.
How can we best serve you? Please contact us and let's start talking about it.
