August 19, 2019

honolulu family Education cheat sheet: The Power of Play

Don't put off playtime! Here is why we should all take it seriously for our kids.

As the head of an elementary school, I think about children and childhood extensively. I also think about my childhood and how I would play for hours in my room, running a pretend bookstore or reading aloud to my well-behaved and attentive class of stuffed animals. I think about my daughters today and how much joy they experience when creating an original play, complete with costumes and music, on an easy Sunday afternoon or catching a “party wave” in the Kailua shore break. I think about how my 9-year-old plays with my iPhone camera, working with different modes to create a great photo.

I also think about how difficult childhood is today. The accelerated and overscheduled pace of life, the intense expectations (which, for kids, often result in equally intense feelings of anxiety, fear and stress), the easy access to disturbing and inappropriate content, the public nature of social dynamics and the sometimes debilitating worry of parents that children cannot recover from feelings of disappointment, loss and failure.

At times it feels society fails to protect childhood. Exacerbating irony is the fact that recent research tells us so much more about the importance of this time in child development. Schools must intervene and persist in honoring our children’s younger years as its own distinct stage of life and valuing play as a child’s work.

I advocate that schools and parents take play seriously. In play, children explore their curiosities, develop initiative and problem-solving skills. They practice focusing attention and persisting in pursuit of their own ideas and goals. They learn to communicate, compromise, cooperate, empathize and self-regulate. They take risks, imagine, and most importantly, find and experience joy. It is also important for parents to join in. Observing and participating in play with our children helps us continually understand who they are, their unique interests and talents, humor and sensitivities, not to mention it brings us joy.

I hope the resources shared lead to many more minutes of reflective thought regarding how to prioritize play.

Parent Homework

In five minutes, you can review:

• A fun, beautifully designed poster of data and powerful quotes about the power of play.

• A thoughtful Washington Post column, “We Have Slashed and Burned the Core Features of Childhood.”

• A simple meditation aimed at getting adults off their technology in the spiritual-based On Being’s blog post, “Play Needs No Purpose.”

• The three different kinds of play and six things you can do to help in Harvard Graduate School’s Usable Knowledge piece, “Summertime, Playtime.”

Have 10 minutes?  

• On Being takes a longer view at the benefits of finding fun ways to fill open time and the potential dangers of idleness, “In Praise of Play and Idle Time.”

• Learn more about the long-term benefits of curiosity in the MIT Sloan Management Review article, “In Praise of the Incurably Curious Leader.”

Dive a little deeper in 30 minutes with:

• Harvard EdCast’s exploration of down time in “Kids Need a Break.”

• A thoughtful piece to help parents adjust their approach in National Public Radio’s “What Kind Of Parent Are You: Carpenter or Gardener?”

• The Education Hub’s “Designing curriculum: Effective experiences and environments.” (Don’t get scared off by the title!)