Families Push Back on Screen Time With Unstructured Play

Local play café offers research-backed alternative to over-scheduled childhoods

With national studies showing U.S. children averaging more than 7 hours of screen time per day outside of school, local parents are searching for ways to help kids unplug, slow down, and play on their own terms. In Greenville, Play Café is stepping up, championing the power of unstructured, imaginative play as a vital tool for child development.

“Parents tell me all the time their kids are overbooked and overstimulated,” said Austin Motes, owner of Play Café in the Judson Mill District. “When children have the freedom to create their own games and stories, without constant direction, you can almost see their creativity coming alive in real time.”

Why Experts Say Free Play Matters

The American Psychological Association calls unstructured play “critical to building creativity, problem-solving skills, and emotional resilience.” Similarly, research published in Frontiers in Psychology found that children engaged in less-structured activities develop stronger self-directed executive function, which helps them set goals, make decisions, and adapt to challenges.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) research also highlights how free play promotes initiative, independence, and social-emotional growth, qualities that can’t be taught in a workbook or on a screen.

How Play Café Brings It to Life Locally

At Play Café, unstructured play isn’t just encouraged, it’s built into every detail:

• Open-ended activity stations with sensory materials, blocks, and pretend-play props

• Mixed-age play areas that foster collaboration and peer learning

• Sensory-friendly sessions for children who benefit from a calmer, adaptable environment
  
  

Greenville mom Rachel Lewis says she saw the difference in her 4-year-old within weeks: “He went from needing me to tell him what to do to inventing elaborate games with other kids he had just met. His confidence has skyrocketed.”

A Community Answer to a National Trend

The shift toward unstructured play in Greenville reflects a national pushback against over-scheduling and passive screen entertainment. A recent Common Sense Media report found that kids under age 8 now spend an average of 2 hours and 55 minutes a day on screens, with much of it being entertainment rather than education.

“Parents want more than a playground, they want a safe space where their kids can explore without pressure, while they connect with other families,” Motes said. “We’re seeing families build community here just as much as kids build creativity.”

Contact Information:

Play Cafe

701 Easley Bridge Rd unit 6040 Greenville SC 29611
Greenville, SC 29611
United States

Austin Motes
https://www.playcafeofsc.com/