Fighting for play

"So what's the big deal?" you may ask. Maybe you spend your days shuttling kids from school to soccer, to art class... and it seems like they are playing all the time. Yet early childhood educators at a recent conference worried about the loss of playtime in childhood, and predicted serious repercussions for America if the trend is not reversed.

According the article, experts are saying that children today average 8 to 12 fewer hours of free play time per week than they did in the 1980s. They predict that without "ample opportunity for forms of play that foster innovation and creative thinking ... America's children will be at a disadvantage in the global economy."

Some trends: no recess at school, more emphasis on formal learning and more time spent in structured activities, such as organized sports and after school lessons.

In the early 80's, cell phones were for rich people, the internet was for college professors, and video games were almost as big as pin ball machines. There was Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and not much else on TV that was just for little kids. Times have changed, and between television, video games, text messaging, and the internet, an entire day of childhood can go by. At the same time, kids aren't allowed to run wild all over town anymore. Schools are under pressure to get their kids to pass their tests. It all adds up to less imaginative play.

Not all the change is bad: we're wearing our seat belts and bicycle helmets, quitting smoking, saving the planet... And we don't have to sit around while playtime takes a backseat either.

Opening a children's museum is a great start. Children's museums provide a place to just go play--rain or shine. A safe place to have a play date or try something new. A place to make a mess without destroying the living room carpet. Maybe not a replacement for the local sandlot--but add the kind of toys that inspire social play and creative problem solving, and you have something that meets an ancient childhood need while fitting into the world of the 21st century.