Children need to play. Oh, that’s obvious, you say—but according to NPR’s Alix Spiegel, children today need more “freewheeling imaginative play,” as opposed to structured enrichment classes or play centered around single-purpose toys. I’ve long felt this; one of the many reasons my son has my 25-year-old Legos rather than today’s versions. (OK, there’s some sentimentalism in there, too.) With the older Legos, for example, you had to build a horse out of cubes and angle-bricks, and could make it yellow or blue if you liked; today, the horse is premolded and precolored. I’d rather give my son a paper towel tube to use as a telescope/flashlight/light saber/car tunnel than buy four separate items. I’m not a purist, but give me a good old fashioned wooden block set over the Bob the Builder “Load and Play” Factory any day.
Television advertising, which began promoting specific toys at the expense of improvised activities, is partly to blame, relates Spiegel, citing Brown University cultural historian Howard Chudacoff. President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” initiative gets negative marks, too. Yale psychological researcher Dorothy Singer explains, “Because of the testing, and the emphasis now that you have to really pass these tests, teachers are starting earlier and earlier to drill the kids in their basic fundamentals. Play is viewed as unnecessary, a waste of time.”
Worth a full read. I’ll also add that I think the best way to get kids to play with imagination is to get out there and play with them. Pirates on the horizon!
Har and avast!
I’m with you, sister, and thank you for the link. Will read it forthwith. Did you see the Sunday New York Times Magazine cover story last week? I’ve just skimmed bits of “Taking Play Seriously” (one day, as godess is my witness, I will finish an article in the Times without interruption!), but it’s intriguing, and certainly mirrors your statement above:
Oh, thanks for the note about the NYT article. Definitely the same idea–though interestingly, they cite different authorities. Methinks that “play” will be a rising parenting trend in the next year. Kind of sad that we have to “rediscover” this.
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Marcia and I were both quite taken with this story on NPR. I’m going to write about it for the WITS newsletter. What fresh air!
I like your idea of giving your child a paper towel tube instead of purchasing a toy for him. Imaginative play is extremely important in a child’s development. I will have to read the story by Alix Spiegel. Thank you for sharing!