“We often complicate kids’ ability to have fun and adapt.”

These insights come from Jeff Francoeur, a former professional baseball outfielder, who now hosts a youth sports podcast and is a father to kids involved in organized sports.

“Kids no longer play pickup games in their backyards,” he remarked during an October conversation with YSL News Sports. “That was where we used to let our imaginations run wild: envisioning ourselves in game seven of the World Series with our friends.”

Nowadays, a child’s fantasy is often disrupted by a coach pushing them onto the next drill during practice.

Thanksgiving, however, is an exception. Families gather for friendly—sometimes highly competitive—touch football matches before the feast. It’s a rare moment each year when we embrace the idea of free play for our children.

Francoeur believes that parents and youth coaches should prioritize free play in children’s lives more frequently and even integrate it into formal practice sessions.

“Instead of scheduling a structured baseball practice every night,” he suggested, “why not set aside one night for neighborhood kids to have a pickup basketball game? Let them play freely and let their imaginations flourish.”

I recently discussed how American kids received a D- in overall physical activity according to the 2024 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Specifically, only 20-28% of children aged 6 to 17 are meeting the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity outlined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A shortage of free play contributes to this issue, particularly among teenagers who feel pushed out of the overly competitive youth sports scene. Free play can look like meeting friends at a gym, a basketball court, or playing pickleball—activities that do not involve long periods of sitting, be it on phones or in classrooms.

As the holiday season approaches, with calorie intake and distractions increasing faster than physical activity levels, it’s vital to highlight the significance of free play for both physical and emotional well-being.

Here are four effective methods to reinstate free play for children and adults, regardless of their sporting abilities.

1. Establish a holiday tradition

If you plan a game, they are likely to join in. Encourage ongoing participation.

The “Turkey Bowl” has become a yearly event in our local park. Based on informal estimates, we’ve been playing this touch football game for over two decades.

We host a parents vs. kids match. Just like Cal Ripken with his son, we don’t let the kids win.

Ultimately, winning—despite what parents might claim—is not the main goal. We play for the enjoyment and to uphold a tradition, which is what sports should truly be about.

As noted by Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey in his book “Spark,” exercise can be like “Miracle-Gro for the brain,” enhancing our intellectual stimulation through physical activities.

Playing with friends adds to the enjoyment. Sometimes, we forget about fitness benefits or even that we’re tired when we’re having fun together.

Plan your Thanksgiving morning to include free play—be it football, a hike, or a pickup basketball game. Repeat it for Christmas and New Year’s. Support everyone participating. You’ll be surprised how refreshing it feels when you’re not worried about your child’s performance statistics.

A morning game can help combat post-meal sluggishness, possibly turning into a topic of conversation at holiday dinners and providing your kids with exciting stories to share at future meals.

2. Keep them active in the classroom

“From my experience, we require children from kindergarten onwards to remain seated for most of their day,” explained Alissa Casey, who primarily teaches third to fifth graders. “In my school district, elementary children are only allotted about thirty minutes of recess daily (and some of that time is lost during transitions from lunch to classroom) with one fifty-minute PE session per week.

“If we rely solely on after-school time for kids’ physical activity and exercise, we’re placing a huge burden on them. They spend a significant portion of their day at school with little to no movement.”

Casey sought information on how much physical activity other children get during the school day.

Ayanna McKnight, the operations director for the Physical Activity Alliance (PAA), mentioned that states have different mandates regarding physical education. Organizations like SHAPE America, Active Schools, and Active Kids Active Minds are leading efforts to advocate for more physical activity before, during, and after school.

If you are an educator, consider discussing with your supervisors the possibility of incorporating physical activity breaks into your classroom schedule. Jordan Carlson, chair of the activity report card committee, suggests that educators are finding brief activity bursts can improve focus in students.

“Some teachers worry it might disrupt the class, but they then realize the positive impact,” Carlson, a pediatrics professor at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, stated. “Studies using brain imaging have shown that even brief periods of two to five minutes of movement can energize students in a way that enhances their learning.”

Try engaging activities that don’t require large spaces, like marching in place or moving arms and feet to music or instructions.

GoNoodle offers some helpful ideas.

3. Incorporate Devices into Active Free Play

The physical activity report card revealed many Cs and Ds across various categories, with a significant factor for the D- grade in “sedentary behavior” being excessive screen time.

“Over the last decade, there has been a notable increase in children not adhering to recommended screen time limits of no more than 2 hours per day,” explains Amanda Staiano, a co-author of the report.

She directs the pediatric obesity and health behavior lab at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, part of Louisiana State University. The data shows that one in five children in the United States is classified as obese, which means their weight exceeds the healthy range for their age, sex, and height.

According to Staiano, a Body Mass Index (BMI) below the 85th percentile is considered a healthy weight; the 85th to 95th percentiles are categorized as overweight; and those in the 95th percentile and above are classified as obese. Engaging in too much sedentary behavior can lead to numerous health problems, including obesity.

“For children over the age of 4, screen time should be minimized as much as possible — global recommendations suggest no more than two hours of non-school screen time per day,” Staiano notes. “Unfortunately, very few children are meeting these guidelines, with some averages showing 7 to 8 hours of screen time daily.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a tool to create a Family Media Plan. It’s beneficial for families to charge devices overnight in a common area instead of the bedroom and to set phones aside during meals. During these family dinners, explain to your kids that taking devices away isn’t a punishment.

Rather, emphasize that screens can be used in active video games or for staying connected with each other, or even for friendly competitions about who can take the most steps in a day.

4. Encourage Them to Dream

Encouraging kids to dream can keep them engaged in sports.

Francouer, a major league broadcaster, recently discussed with Yankees manager Aaron Boone how Boone once fantasized about hitting a game-winning home run, which he accomplished during the ALCS against the Red Sox in 2003—something he dreamt of as a child.

I shared a similar passion for baseball as a child, and those yard games inspired my own dreams. However, on cold or rainy days when I had to stay indoors, I would also imagine throwing touchdown passes to my friends once we could play outside again.

Today, kids face too much structure, which is a significant reason for the D- grade in physical activity. Even if specialization in sports begins, dreaming should never take a back seat.

The AAP advises that kids should take one rest day per week and should ideally take two to three months off from any specific sport, which doesn’t have to be consecutive.

Encourage them to fill their downtime from organized sports with unstructured, free play. If possible, this could begin during Thanksgiving.

For about a decade, I’ve been the organizer of our neighborhood “Turkey Bowl.” Initially, we mixed parents and kids, ensuring that the kids got ample playtime. Over the years, the game has shifted (though some playful banter remains) to parents versus kids.

To date, the kids still haven’t claimed victory against us.

But their time will come. My older son plays baseball and now weighs 180 pounds, while my younger son, fresh from his freshman football season, is at 155. Our neighborhood is filled with high school and college kids now.

Eventually, they’re bound to beat us. For now, they can still dream about it.