Encourage kids to get out and play

Today’s children are part of a generation in which parents, teachers, and coaches tell them how, where, and when to do everything. Add electronic games to the list and you’ve got children who play by the rules and use repetition to achieve the next level. But if kids never have to create their own fun, they will find it more difficult to negotiate through life on their own.

And while it’s okay to value achievement and competition, parents shouldn’t assume that the more extracurricular activities their children have on their schedule, the better off they are. Ask any parent how their child is doing, and they won’t say, “He’s great—he plays at outside five times a week.”

Project Play’s goal is to bring children back outdoors with good, old-fashioned “playing.” The movement aims to motivate kids to interact with others, enjoy the freedom of their youth, develop creative skills, and remain healthy. Most importantly, Project Play strives to feed the imaginative minds of children and encourage parents to make backyard play a priority—for it is as equally important to be creative and imaginative as it is to be smart.

By reading the Project Play books and learning these backyard games, children will be inspired to round up their friends and start some new games of their own. They’ll learn classic games like "kick the can" and "treasure hunt" and enjoy the lively stories about the Edgebrook kids. Then they can teach their friends, come up with new playing strategies, and enjoy some backyard fun.

The book series offers both young rhyming and chapter books. Help your kids read about the adventurous Edgebrook gang and then encourage them to get out and play!