Play: Amazing That We Are Letting It Disappear
Years ago, when I was a graduate student, I was introduced to the writings of Korney Chukovsky, a Russian writer from the early 20th century, who explored children's language with love and devotion. His book "From Two to Five" is still an amazing read--if you want to both laugh and marvel at what young children accomplish in learning language. At the time he wrote, he was trying to halt the drive of the Russian leadership to get rid of fairy tales and related fantasy stories on the grounds that they defied the "realism" that the authorities were seeking.
Now it seems unbelievable but our nation is faced with a not dissimilar struggle where the authorities are denying outlets that are vital to children. In this case, it is play.
Supported by laws such as No Child Left Behind, recess and physical education (not to mention art and music instruction) have in many schools been cut back or eliminated. The message to children is that “playtime is over.”
In the words of Stuart Brown, founder and president of the National Institute for Play, .”Even if summer does not bring children a complete release from their over-organized, cell-phone-computer-TV-and-video-game-saturated lives, it does offer most a bit of free “goof-off” time – the sort that leads to physical activity and elective, self-organized play... Goof-off time shouldn’t be limited to summer vacation: it’s important all year."
For most American children in the not-so-distant past, “going out to play” was the norm. Today, according to a University of Michigan study, children spend 50 percent less time outside than they did just 20 years ago — and the 6.5 hours a day they spend with electronic media means that sitting in front of a screen has replaced going out.
Through the lens of play research, we can see that there is a direct line between play deficiencies and some frightening public health and social trends: tragic statistics for obesity, 4.5 million children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, an increase in childhood depression and classroom behavioral problems involving violence, and an inability to interact well with peers.
Just an hour a day of vigorous play — running, chasing, games like tag or dodge ball, and even dealing with or avoiding being excluded from these activities — can provide intense skill learning. Physical activity is known to lessen the symptoms of mild
