There are so many interesting opportunities for children that it can be tempting to sign them up for all sorts of clubs, extra classes, tutoring, sports activities, and much more. With such a variety of available activities, it’s important to remember that your little one must also have free time. Even if it seems like you could fit in one more hour of something useful and educational, don’t rush to add it to the schedule. Make sure that your child has unstructured free time every day.
Does Free Time Mean a Child Does Absolutely Nothing?
A child can choose any free time activities for kids, but in general, yes — it’s time when they don’t have to do anything at all: they can feel bored, rest, or even take a nap if they want to. It’s truly time that the child can use as they wish, without parents stepping in to “entertain” them, eliminate boredom, or fill the time with important and beneficial activities. It’s also important to note that free time does not equal screen time with gadgets.
The moments when a child feels bored are the moments when they start thinking of fun things they’d like to do and begin to understand what they genuinely enjoy. Even if this doesn’t happen right away, over time, your child will definitely learn how to entertain themselves during their free hour.
Why Is Free Time a Superpower for Children’s Mental Health?
The connection between free time for kids and mental health benefits has been scientifically proven. During the hours when their daily routine isn’t filled with strict rules, defined activities, or structured events, here’s what happens:
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The child relaxes. They feel less pressure, which means less anxiety and stress. Without planned activities, they can give their brain the time it needs to process past experiences and figure out where they want to direct their energy next.
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When children have free time, they’re more likely to choose creative activities. Many kids naturally turn to drawing, sculpting, building puzzles, or blocks when they have a free moment. School-age children often spend their free hours reading or even creating their own stories.
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They gain space where they can set their own rules instead of always following adult directions. They learn to make decisions (what to do, which activity to choose) and develop independence.
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The link between free time for kids and mental health also lies in the fact that children feel they control this part of their day themselves. This helps them build autonomy, willpower, and a sense of self. They also learn to handle frustration when there’s no set plan and they have to improvise.
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Another reason why free time is so closely connected to kids and mental health is that without external demands, children become more attuned to their inner world. This self-awareness is grounding and helps them feel not like an object being acted upon (being fed, educated, taken to classes), but like a subject who makes their own choices.
Although this may sound very simple, in reality, these are not just advantages — they are essential for healthy development. So if your child still has a daily free slot in their routine, don’t be in a hurry to fill it. Let your little one choose how to fill it on their own.
Simple Children's Mental Health Activities During Free Time
You don’t need to come up with any special tasks to fill unstructured time. But here are a few ideas for what your child might enjoy doing:
Exploring Outdoors
If the weather is nice, your little one can spend time in the backyard, at a playground, or playing in the garden. This could be anything: collecting leaves or flowers, playing in a sandbox, or swinging on a swing.
Free Creativity
Your child’s room should have accessible materials for creativity: modeling clay, paints, paper, crayons, and so on. Show your child where these materials are kept so they can use them whenever they wish.
Independent Reading
Quiet time with a favorite book is a wonderful way to dive into an interesting story, stimulate imagination, and even relax. When a child chooses to read rather than being told to, it helps form a positive attitude toward reading. A book begins to be associated with rest, relaxation, and pleasant emotions. If your child is still too young to read on their own, offer to read to them — let them pick the book they’d like to hear.
Building and Constructing
Let your child simply play with building blocks, LEGO, puzzles, or even construct a tunnel out of cardboard boxes across the room. Such activities both entertain and stimulate spatial thinking, while also helping to release excess emotions and relax.
Idea jar
Preschoolers sometimes find it hard to come up with ideas for what to do, and in those moments, it’s tempting for parents to step in and decide for them. An idea jar is a way to help without interfering. You can fill a jar, basket, or box with folded pieces of paper listing different activity ideas. For example: draw a flower, make a playdough burger, build a house from blocks, invent a funny dance, or play superhero. If your child runs out of ideas, they can use this idea jar and pick one they like or choose randomly.
Sometimes children's mental health activities can be done together as a family. Take a look at our article “Bonding Family Activities” — you’ll find lots of fun and inspiring ideas if you want to spend free time together with your little one.
For Free Time to Be Meaningful…
Since free time and kids' mental health are closely connected, it’s worth planning free time in the same way you plan everything else in your child’s schedule: kindergarten or school, extracurricular activities, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and free time. Try to include “empty” slots in your child’s daily routine whenever possible.
To make sure this time truly benefits your child’s mental health, consider these additional tips:
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Make sure that creative materials, books, and toys are within your child’s reach so they can use them freely.
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Set an example by showing how you spend your own free time: drawing, reading, knitting, going for a walk, doing exercises, and so on.
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Resist the urge to take over. It’s tempting to help your child choose a game, correct their mistakes, or suggest ideas — but hold back. Boredom is often where creativity is born.
By encouraging little ones to engage in unstructured play, we give them the essential tools for emotional regulation, creativity, and resilience, supporting the development of a healthier, happier young mind. So, let’s take another look at your child’s daily schedule. Is there free time in it? If not, now is the perfect moment to plan for it.
