Should parents plan their children's leisure time carefully? Or should they let their children decide for themselves how to spend their free time? before answering these two qusetions, we should first of all ask another question: do children know how to plan to spend their free time? The answer to this question is both "yes" and "no". Our common sense tells us that some children spend their free time in a planned way while some others, especially the younger ones, just play as they like without any paln at all.
The above answer leads to three more relevant questions about those children who know how to plan their leisure time: How have they obtained the ability? Is the ability innate? Or is the ability learnt? Our observations tell us that this ability is not born but learned from others---their parents, teachers, other adults, or other children.
With these questions settled, the answer to the first two questions should be verry clear. Parents should not give their children a free hand at the beginning. INstead, they should plan their childrren's leisure time carefully, making sure that their children understand why they should have a plan. In this way, the children will gradually forma habit of making palns and know how to make a good plan.. Then, we can say these children know how to spend their leisure time.
When children alrady know how to spend their free time , they will not need any longer for the parents to paln for them. The most they can do is to keep an eye on their children's activities and give some guidance or advice when necessary. For most of the time, children should be allowed to decide for themselves. The whole process is in fact a process of training, in which instruction, demonstration and practice should be planned in a scientific way. Without plenty of practice, the whole process of learning would be a failure.
