The serious business of play

Guides for parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic are full of advice about how to help children navigate the transition to virtual classes, how to keep children busy and avoid boredom, and why schedules and routines are important during this stressful time. What might be overlooked? Unstructured play.

That’s a mistake, say psychologists. A wealth of research shows that unstructured play — play that isn’t organized or directed by adults or older peers and that generally doesn’t have a defined purpose or outcome — is a fundamental necessity for children to...