Let the Children Play: Fostering Autonomy by Letting Go
Researchers on play agree that in order to be classified as PLAY, a child’s activities have to have the following five components. From a child’s point of view play must be: Non-literal – In imaginative play, I let go of conventional constraints and experiment with new possibilities. When I play, I can be a mermaid. I can fly, and this rock can become a beautiful jewel or a tasty treat. Intrinsically motivated – When I play, I am doing what I do because I like it. I don’t need to know that I...
Read MorePlay and the Brain
Did you know that play is basic for survival and that play has a biological function just like sleeping and dreaming? So says Dr. Stuart Brown, director of the National Institute of Play in a TED Talk he presented in 2008. Dr. Brown’s message to adults is this: humans are hard-wired for play and play is a transformative force of empowerment for the human race. Does science support these bold claims? According to Dr. Brown, not only does current scientific research back up his...
Read MoreBlock Play
I recently wandered through a Lego store and had to weave my way through throngs of children and their parents in order to locate my son. No matter how empty and deserted the mall may be on a given weekend, there always seems to be a crowd at the Lego store. Legos are popular; both parents and children enjoy assembling the blocks and creating amazing masterpieces from the tiny little rectangles. I love Legos and we have boxes full of them sitting in my sons’ room, along with dusty...
Read MoreChildren as Scientists
Developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik gave a TED talk in 2011 on the topic of what babies think. Dr. Gopnik’s work parallels that of Patricia Kuhl in referring to the statistical prowess of infants, indicating that babies absorb immense amounts of data that their brains must make sense of in order to learn. According to Gopnik, babies are designed to learn. Infants and young children are “the research and development division of the human species” in that they make...
Read MoreWho Says Girls Don’t Like To Build With Blocks?
The following are creations by girls who are 4 and 5 years old. No one told them to play blocks and no adult helped them think of ideas. I acknowledge that two out of the three are decidedly traditionally “girl” themes, but the point is to encourage them to express themselves in many different ways. I never cease to be amazed by childrens’ imagination and skill! This is a zoo complete with compartments for the different animals and paths for people to walk on. ...
Read MoreBuilding Blocks
How does one go from this… to this? Without some kind of master plan, or blueprint, or hours spent coming up with ideas? The genius of play. If only we could harness this creativity of six year olds and bottle it! Imagine the places these amazing minds can go if they continue on their current...
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