Although children learn a lot through play, a new study has found that many children do not have enough opportunity to engage in free play.
Instead, too much importance seems to be given to academic achievement, Valerie Sollars, who carried out the study, said.
In fact, less than half of primary school children - 41.5 per cent - and less than a fourth of secondary school children reported having some free time every day after school hours.
More than eight per cent of primary school children and over 11 per cent of secondary school children said they never have free time after school.
While free time is generally more available over the weekend, 3.7 per cent of primary school children and 6.2 per cent of secondary school pupils said they never have any.
The study found that time for play is often taken up with studying, homework and reading as children grow older.
The study, Children's Right to Play, a Study of Maltese Children's Perceptions on Cultural and Recreational Activities, was carried out among 6,000 students aged seven to 14 and attending 46 schools around the island. Heads of school, service providers and adults responsible for religious groups, dance, music, drama and football clubs were also questioned in a bid to corroborate the students' answers.
Dr Sollars said anecdotal evidence suggests that children and young people growing up in Malta are under a lot of pressure brought on by an exam-oriented education system. "This means that academic success is rewarded to the exclusion of other activities."
Play and leisure activities, she said, are crucial to the well-being and healthy development of children. Although play may be associated with younger children, at no stage of a human's life are play-days over. Play offers lifelong learning experiences which motivate children, encourage them to try things out without fear of failure, appeal to their sense of curiosity and instil a love for learning.
"Play is not a waste of time," said Dr Sollars, the head of department of primary education within university's Faculty of Education. However some adults did not understand its benefits.
She said that although many paid lip service to the importance of learning through play, it seemed that little was known about playful practice. In fact research among 512 Maltese families showed that some parents still needed to be convinced that play in itself was not a waste of time, even during the early years.
Allowing children more time to play would reduce stress and help them develop better, Marian Muscat Azzopardi, a member of the Council of Children and a mother of five, said. She said some parents were obsessed with ensuring that their children were top in everything, adding that this was damaging.
She highlighted that children learnt a lot while playing, especially if it is left up to them to organise their own play. On the other hand, if children spent their leisure time in front of a computer or the television they are not learning important social skills.
Children's Commissioner Sonia Camilleri, whose office commissioned the report, said that even so-called recreation activities, such as sport, were sometimes turned into "work" for children as they were pushed to try and be the best.
Ms Camilleri said one needed to explore whether children were enjoying extra curricular activities or whether these were in fact an added source of stress. She pointed out that the state is bound to provide ways for children to spend their leisure time.
The study also found that despite the benefits associated with drama, which helps children develop self-confidence and self-esteem while allowing them to express themselves, it was the least represented among the creative arts.
Perhaps not surprisingly the study found that computer games provide a new source of "play" for younger children, while the older ones tend to use it mostly for chatting. Video games, which appeal more to boys, appear to be losing their appeal for older children.
Facts and figures
• Almost 70 per cent of primary school children said they watch television every day compared to 26.1 per cent of secondary school children.
• 16.1 per cent of primary school children and 50.6 per cent of secondary school children said they never have a music lesson. 55.1 per cent of primary school children and 21.2 per cent of secondary school children said they have a music lesson once in a while.
• More than half of all children said they have little time to eat and play during school breaks.
• More than 22 per cent of secondary school children said they spend three to four hours a day using a computer. More than 27 per cent of primary school children use computers daily.
• 64.7 per cent of boys and 37.1 per cent of girls at primary level as well as 67.6 per cent of boys and 46.9 per cent of girls attending secondary schools participate in sports.
• More than 35 per cent of primary school children and 44 per cent of secondary school children hardly ever go to playing fields.