In the good old days, playing with friends meant biking through the neighborhood, playing basketball in the driveway and climbing up jungle gyms at the local park. Childhood play was often outdoors, simple and fun — and never included handheld devices. But beyond the simplicity, it was also playing a large role in personal development.

The amount of time children spend playing is declining. Some children may be more interested in video games or watching TV than playing a game of kickball in the cul-de-sac. In fact, research shows preschoolers watch an average of 4.5 hours of TV a day and are missing out on important health benefits and developmental factors of unstructured play.