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Sunday, June 22nd, 2014

Why Free Play Is the Best Summer School

Author:     JESSICA LAHEY
Source:     The Atlantic
Publication Date:     Jun 20 2014, 12:45 PM ET
 Link: Why Free Play Is the Best Summer School
Stephan:   I visited friends not long ago, and their child had a phone, and spent some time attempting to set up a play date. I realized how different a child's life in the U.S. is now from when I was growing up. Then, as soon as school was out, we woke up went out, got together with our friends in the area, spent a lot of time in the woods, near a creek, or just in the street, coming in for lunch, often with two or three friends -- unless we made a sandwich and took it with us -- going back out as soon as we were finished. When the street lights came on, or we heard a whistle, we came in. Where did you go? Parents would ask. Out, we would reply. What did you do? Nothing, we would say. By which we meant nothing a big person would understand. It turns out that's a pretty good way for a kid to live. Although it isn't mentioned in this article, the pedagogy that really understands the importance of unscripted play is the Waldorf system.

Most schools across the nation have marked the end of another academic year, and it’s time for summer. Time for kids to bolt for the schoolhouse doors for two long months of play, to explore their neighborhoods and discover the mysteries, treasures, and dramas they have to offer. This childhood idyll will hold true for some children, but for many kids, the coming of summer signals little more than a seasonal shift from one set of scheduled, adult-supervised lessons and activities to another.

Unscheduled, unsupervised, playtime is one of the most valuable educational opportunities we give our children. It is fertile ground; the place where children strengthen social bonds, build emotional maturity, develop cognitive skills, and shore up their physical health. The value of free play, daydreaming, risk-taking, and independent discovery have been much in the news this year, and a new study by psychologists at the University of Colorado reveals just how important these activities are in the development of children’s executive functioning.

Executive function is a broad term for cognitive skills such as organization, long-term planning, self-regulation, task initiation, and the ability to switch between activities. It is a vital part of school preparedness and has long been accepted […]

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