​HOW TO GIVE KIDS SCREEN-FREE PLAY TIME

Nicole Cooper is a mom, a dietitian, a former police officer AND the organizer of a Let Grow Play Club at her kids’ school. Here’s what she wrote when she started it. How’s it going? Read on!

Hi All,

Just wanted to give ya’ll an update on the Let Grow Play Club at Los Alamitos Elementary in San Jose, CA.

We started in October 2024 with 6 members – that is, kids — and now have 43! Parents routinely tell me their kids love Wednesdays (our Club day) and ask them, “Is it Play Club day today?” Kids tell me, “Let Grow is more fun than chess club! I love playing with my friends at Let Grow. I wish Let Grow could be every day!”

Our members have used their imaginations to build fake camp fires, race tracks and fairy dust with street chalk, figure out how to retrieve a stuck soccer ball, take turns and problem solve when other kids don’t “play by the rules,” and successfully climb a tree! 

They sorted out many other issues on their own, with me smiling as I witnessed play as it should be, with limited interventions by adults and limited rules.

Meanwhile, “Friendship Camp” was a huge hit over the summer with my 8-year old son and three of his friends. The “camp” was simply this:  all four sets of parents agreed that any kid could go knock on any of the other kids’ doors and ask them to play. 

And they did! The kids loved having the entire day to play together, not just once a week! They even went to the local pizza place to order by themselves. Anyone interested could start organizing a Friendship Camp…immediately! 

I believe the Let Grow Play Club has made the parents more open to letting their kids be more independent and see what they are capable of. 

Now I’m in contact with two parents who are interested in starting play clubs at the adjacent elementary schools. Starting a movement is harder and slower than liking or sharing a social media post. But time, patience, and the belief that play is essential to kids is what drives me to keep moving forward. 

Thank you so much for starting Let Grow and providing the resources and materials for me to bring this to my community. Giving the kids the environment to thrive (and an alternative to screens) will have lasting effects on my family and my community for years to come!