In the days before laptops, tablets and cellphones, children spent time playing board games, coloring or putting puzzles together. Girls had their dolls and boys had their action figures. And, on nice weather days, kids would be outside shooting hoops, skimming rocks on the water or playing tag or hopscotch.

Helping children realize the fun they can have without devices is the goal of Global School Play Day, which is observed annually around the world. This year's event took place on Feb. 5.

According to http://www.globalschoolplayday.com, the goal of the event is to provide students with time to enjoy free play without the use of screens, structured games or adult supervision. The goal is to have "children explore their creativity, problem-solving skills and social interactions in an unstructured and spontaneous environment."

Locally, students in kindergarten through grade two at the Octorara Primary Learning Center took part in Global School Play Day on Feb. 14. "It was a cool day because they had a whole day to play, plus they (celebrated) Valentine's Day in the classrooms," noted Lindsay Mitman, Octorara math interventionist for children in kindergarten through second grade. She noted that day was rescheduled from Feb. 5 because of a snow day.

On Global School Play Day, students brought in toys and games from home. "They were invited to bring in toys from home; none of it was provided. It was totally in the kids' control of how they wanted to spend their time playing," explained Mitman. "Some kids brought in dolls or action figures. Some had different board games, and some brought in sports equipment, so some were throwing a football around or playing floor hockey."

Free play time was provided during homeroom, as well as during other classes. "When they did go to their specials that day - like gym, art and library - that was also unstructured free play time as well," noted Mitman.

Homeroom teachers scheduled the times, but activities during play time were totally up to the students. "(The students) were prepped for two weeks before on how this was going to go and how they could organize the play on their own," Mitman noted. "It was a chance for them to work things out on their own and play how they wanted to play. If problems would arise, (they had to figure out) how would they handle it or (how to) share their toys. It went really well."

This is the first time that Octorara has participated in the Global School Play Day.

"I came across this while reading 'The Playful Classroom.' I asked our principal, Krista Lease, if our school could participate," said Mitman. "She was on board, and then we had a group of teachers who met and planned how this would look since it was our first time. We met a few times and prepared the kids to have them be ready for the day and to get them excited."

Also, in preparing for the event, the teachers made a video about their own toys and games. "We made a video and interviewed a lot of our staff members and asked them how they liked to play when they were kids, and we showed that to the students," Mitman said. "They got to see how their teachers and staff members got to play when they were little."

Mitman noted that a lot of the games and activities enjoyed by the adults were the same as those of the children. "There were a lot of similarities," said Mitman. "A lot of female teachers loved to play Barbie as the kids still do. Some of the male teachers said they liked wiffleball and sports, and (the students) liked to play at those, too."

" 'Kick the can' - they didn't know what that was," she added with a smile.

Event organizers said that students adapted well to playing on their own. "They exceeded the teachers' expectations," Mitman shared. "Some of the teachers were worried because we don't give that much control (to students) in an unstructured way, and they handled it amazingly. Everyone wants to do it again."

Plans call for a similar activity to be repeated, perhaps this spring. "It was a cold day, so we could not get outside for outdoor play. Maybe we can do it when it's nicer," Mitman added. "Kids need it. If we can give those opportunities to them (to play), it is very beneficial. We will do this again next year, if not sooner."