“There is a tremendous hunger in our culture for the real game.” This is a quote from Stuart L. Brown, MD, who has spent years studying play in children. He is among a growing number of doctors, psychologists, child development specialists and other professionals speaking out about the apparent lack of real play in today’s children. They are right? Are our children “starving” from playing?
To be defined as play, most researchers agree that children’s activities must meet five criteria:
1. The game must be pleasant and enjoyable.
2. It must be spontaneous and voluntary.
3. A game activity contains a fantasy aspect.
4. The player must actively participate in the game.
5. The game must not have extrinsic objectives. *
While most children are likely to engage in play activities that meet some of these criteria, an activity must meet all five to be considered “true” play. Activities for kids today seem to be missing in two main areas: numbers four and five.
Many toys on the market today encourage passive rather than active play. In this age of high-tech toys, children often push a button and are entertained by watching the game play out. The construction of the toy establishes the play activity and determines how the toy will be played with. The same can be said of many other activities typical of children today: television, movies, computer and video games. The problem with these activities is that the child is not creating anything using her own imagination. The child is not an active participant in creating the play experience.
Criterion number five establishes that the game must occur for playing, with any external objective. Much of what we “play” with children today has the agenda covered with teaching them a skill. Many of today’s toys are “educational” and clever marketing has told parents that they need to stimulate their baby’s brain, use flash cards with their toddler, teach their preschooler to read. Some of today’s most popular toys bear names like Einstein, Genius, Mozart, and Scholar. While there is nothing wrong with children learning through play, the point is that learning occurs naturally in the course of actual play. All children are born with the desire to explore, discover and learn. The most effective means of achieving this is through your game.
When playing with water, children learn about weight, when selling food in a pretend store, they learn about numbers, when using toys symbolically, they think abstractly, a requirement for reading. All of these activities lay the foundation for natural learning.
It is interesting to note that although children seem to lack real play experiences, most parents agree that play is important to their child’s development. In fact, research has shown that parents even know the types of play that are most beneficial for children.* If parents recognize that play is important and know what types of play are beneficial, why aren’t children playing in this kind of unstructured free play? ? Developmental psychologists Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD state that as parents, “we know what to do, but we just can’t bring ourselves to do it. We fear that if we trust our instincts, our children will miss out on learning what to do.” some critical skills. His book, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards, proves otherwise.
I am hopeful that we will bring the true game back to childhood. As many of us return to the birthing process, as we trust our instincts regarding attachment, let’s also value our children’s need to play creatively and show respect for the importance of play in their lives.
Ways everyone can start doing this:
o Make play a part of your child’s daily life. Set aside a time for free play, play that is not directed or interrupted by adults, every day.
o Allow your child to play for the sake of playing. Don’t have a hidden agenda to “teach” or “learn” during the game.
o Provide unstructured multipurpose toys. Toys that are not detailed encourage active participation by the child. The child has to use her imagination to “complete” the toy. This also encourages creativity and gives the child the opportunity to make believe endless possibilities. In addition, there is some evidence that these types of play materials develop innovative thinking and problem-solving skills.*
o Eliminate or limit TV viewing time. Television is a passive activity. It can also invite a host of other challenges into the real game: kids re-enacting TV shows instead of playing with their own imaginations, exposure to violence and commercial marketing, and contributing to the need to be entertained.
o Be aware of the images and sensations that your children capture. Young children are just beginning to get acquainted with the world around them, try to give them a beautiful picture of their world. Toys that are made from natural materials like wood and cotton are particularly enjoyable as they have a warmth and quality that synthetics cannot match. Images that reflect the beauty of nature are preferable to cartoon characterizations and reproductions.
o Offer your child a life worthy of imitation. Young children learn by imitation. Seeing you engaged in worthwhile daily tasks will give them lots of pretend and role-playing.
o Choose a preschool based on the game. Children learn best through play. Research shows that children who attend academically oriented preschools do not enter school with better skills or attitudes toward learning.*
or Educate yourself. Read a little about child development and the importance of play and play materials. Challenge the marketing of toys that claim to be based on brain research. For example, would it surprise you to learn that The Mozart Effect was a study done on college kids and not babies?
or Get involved. There are many gaming advocacy organizations that are free to join and many encourage parents to join. The Alliance for Childhood (www.allianceforchildhood.org) is excellent. They provide information for parents and you can join their free ezine.
Play fosters the growth of healthy children in all aspects of development: physical, cognitive, social and emotional. It really is food for the body, mind and spirit of children. Feed them wonderful “true” play experiences.
*Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD with Diane Eyer, PhD. Einstein never used flash cards. (Rodale, 2003)