SUMMARY

Pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom, author of “Balanced and Barefoot,” urges parents, teachers, and administrators to embrace “active free play" to benefit children of all ages. Today, without merry-go-rounds and teeter-totters, time to roll down hills and get dirty, these modern kids are experiencing an alarming increase in sensory and emotional disorders. But Hanscom, comes to their rescue with “Balanced and Barefoot,” a book full of compelling reasons to encourage unrestrained outdoor play and movement. Not only is free play more fun, she argues, but, without it, cognitive and physical development are stunted. Furthermore, Hanscom believes "unrestricted outdoor play makes for strong, confident, and capable children." 

As a young mother and therapist, Angela Hanscom observed a steep decline in sensory-motor development among her children’s peers. So, she started TimberNook as a vehicle to get children outdoors where they could be balanced and barefoot, enjoying the rich sensory experiences nature offers. What began as a backyard experiment has now grown into a movement to inspire, restore, and challenge little minds and bodies in communities across the world.  

KEY TERMS

• “Active free play”- being fully engrossed in whole-body experiences 
• “Deep play” – play that involves purpose and teaches social skills
• “Vestibular sense” – a sense of balance controlled by little hairs in our inner ear; helps us effectively navigate and move around our environment
• “Proprioception” – the ability to sense what different parts of our body are doing without even looking at them; awareness of where our body is in space
• “Loose parts” – multi-purpose play items (e.g., sticks, planks, empty baskets)

KEY POINTS

• Research shows kids are in a seated position for about 9 hrs/day.
• Spinning helps kids to integrate all their senses and to organize their brains.
• Playgrounds have morphed into colorful, very safe, low-to-the-ground, low-risk places for play easily mastered by age four or five.
• The unpredictability of outdoors challenges and develops all the senses.
• Constantly keeping a baby upright endangers a child, including creating more ear infections.

QUOTES FROM HANSCOM

"Active free play outdoors is a kind of play that promotes healthy sensory and motor development in children. It is the antidote to your child spending hours sitting indoors and staring at screens, and to you as a parent being too busy and overscheduled with kid activities to enjoy parenting. The outdoors awakens and rejuvenates the mind and engages all the senses." 

"In nature, children learn to take risks, overcome fears, make new friends, regulate emotions, and create imaginary worlds.

"Active free play--particularly in the outdoors--is absolutely the most beneficial gift we as parents, teachers, and caregivers can bestow on our children to ensure healthy bodies, creative minds academic success, emotional stability, and strong social skills."  

"Having the ability to play away from the adult world opens up many opportunities and feelings of freedom." 

"When children play outdoors, they are naturally motivated to move--strengthening their muscles with each move, each step, and every encounter with nature." 

BUY Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children 

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