A Longitudinal Study of the Effect of Organized Physical Activity on Free Active Play

Purpose The relationship between organized sport participation and positive youth development is well established. However, overinvolvement in sport and organized physical activity has been identified as having a potentially negative effect. Overscheduling and its impact on free play is one concern, given the importance of free play to overall health and development. Currently, it is not known if greater participation in organized sport has a positive or negative effect on discretionary free play in children and youth. Methods The Physical Health and Activity Study Team study was a 5-yr, longitudinal cohort study that followed 2278 fourth grade children (ages 9–10 yr). Organized sport and free play was assessed in the fall of each school year from fifth to eighth grades using self-report questionnaires. Results Using mixed-effects modeling, we found that higher participation in organized sport was associated with increased participation in free play over time (coefficient = 0.20, P

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