The Importance of "Unscheduled" Time

It was tough returning to work and school yesterday, not only for me but also for my children. Having two weeks without homework or any scheduled afterschool activities was absolutely wonderful.  Unlike most years, we did not travel to visit family so we found ourselves with lots of time on our hands.  Although that unscheduled time initially had me a bit stressed, we quickly discovered how important it is to just be together as a family.  Did my kids plug-in to their new Christmas devices?  Sure.  Did they fight some? Absolutely!  However, we also spent time playing games together, taking walks as a family, playing outside, and eating dinner together without being rushed to get somewhere.  Until I read this article yesterday, I had not thought about the importance to this unstructured time.  Even during summers, I tend to fill up our calendars with camps and activities.  During this break, there was none of that and it was great.  This article stresses the importance of what the author labels as PDF, Playtime-Downtime-Family Time.  Do you agree?  We would love to hear your thoughts!

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/the-lessons-of-winter-break-protect-playtime-downtime-and-family-time/?_r=0

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