Bring back play, today!
Remember the good, old days, when children had grazes on their knees, dirt under their fingernails and drank water straight from the hosepipe? The play-based childhood is easy to reminisce about. Especially for the older Millennials & Generation X who grew up in a world dominated by free, unstructured play.
According to Jon Haidt, social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, the introduction of mobile technology in the form of tablets and smart phones have caused a decline in the time children spend playing. This has had an alarming impact on mental health.
Watch his insightful talk here:
This month we touched based with educator, mom & school principal, Hilary Goldberg to find out why it is essential for communities to reintroduce free play in a screen-filled world.
THE SWITCH FROM PLAY-BASED TO SCREEN-BASED
Having been in the education sphere for more than 30 years Mrs. Goldberg has a unique vantage point for comparison.
“The introduction of screens and the alienation of connection has had an impact on children,” she comments. “We have noticed that natural connection has been lost and that it is harder for them to play than it was for previous generations.”
Watch the full interview here:
According to a Sapien Labs study, it is estimated that a child with a personal device will spend on average 1000-2000 hours on that device, yearly. This is time that without a screen would have been spent engaged in various activities that shape neural pathways and breed resilient, independent, and happy young adults.
Screens are not the only culprits.
Other factors driving the move away from play are:
- Over scheduling: Both parents and children lead busy and often over scheduled lives that leaves little time for spontaneous play.
- Beliefs around play: Some parents believe that play time should be structured and lead to specific outcomes and that free play is trivial and unproductive.
- Overprotection: Parents today might feel that they need to protect their children from outside threats and assist them in overcoming obstacles.
- Crime: In South Africa many children are isolated at home due to high crime rates and find escapism in their tech.
WHAT CHILDREN GAIN FROM PLAY
According to Mrs.Goldberg the basics of business management can be learnt in the sandpit where negotiation, human resources, sharing & trading equipment, and teamwork is the name of the game. This does not even touch on the physical development that occurs when children are playing freely.
Meg Faure, occupational therapist, and author of the “Sense” series was recently quoted saying:
“The two things that are critical for the human brain to grow-emotional stimulation & sensory stimulation, are simply not there when they are holding a screen.”
When play is unstructured and self-directed, imagination thrives. They create their own rules, and this enhances their development supporting their journey to becoming independent adults.
However, when screens became mobile: tablets started to form part of the journey home from school, and we lost conversation. Smart phones came along on play dates, and we lost imagination. Adolescents started plugging in their earphones and shutting out the voices of their peers and we lost connection.
All of this has had a detrimental impact on our children.
THE SCARY CONSEQUENCES
Peter Grey is an evolutionary psychologist and the author of the fantastic book Free to Learn. In his TED Talk, The Decline of Play, he shares that in his research he found a strong correlation between the decline of play and increased mental health issues in young people.
This is an alarming link as we are currently in what experts are calling a “Global Adolescent Mental Health Crises.”
In South Africa the number of teens struggling with anxiety & depression has risen dramatically in the last 15 years. Prof Mark Goldblatt states in the Beyond Madness Podcast that
10-19 years of age is now the highest risk group for suicide in South Africa.
“We overprotected children in the real world and under protected them online,” states Jon Haidt.
Where screens isolate, play socialises. Screens therefore dish out the opposite of what a developing mind requires.
CRIME RATES & THE DECLINE OF PLAY IN SA
South African children are often insulated due to the high crime rates we experience. With our high cost of living, both parents often must work, and children are left in the care of grandparents, nanny’s, and au pairs.
Sadly, there is often little to no monitoring of screen time and children seek connection and socialisation in online games and social media platforms.
BRING BACK PLAY
Hilary Goldberg says that at Theordor Herzl Primary they place such importance on unstructured play that they have reintroduced it by making a regular slot available in their timetable over and above break times.
Similarly, Jon Haidt offers a solution in introducing free play as an extra mural on a Friday afternoon without screens.
As parents being aware of the importance of free play and joining into the fun from time to time could be the first step in creating a play-based childhood for one’s kids.
“I want to just encourage every parent and every child: Put the computer away, put the cell phone down and just play. Go and play, you’ll actually have so much fun,”
says Mrs. Goldberg.
5 TIPS FOR A PLAY-BASED HOME
When parents are aware of the mental health implications of a screen-based childhood as opposed to a play-based childhood, they are empowered to create balance in the household.
To move back to a play-based home you can do the following:
- Monitor screen time: Reduce screen time through limiting data or the Wi-Fi your child has access too.
- Mentor playfulness: If you model hobbies, sports, and free time without screens to your children, they will adopt your behaviour over time.
- Be spontaneous: Allow children to create, imagine and try new things.
- Leave room: Be careful of overscheduling your children and ensure that there is room for free play over weekends and in the holidays.
- Allow mistakes: Allow children to make mistakes, handle conflicts independently and overcome obstacles in their way, as this gives them confidence to handle adversity and grow into resilient adults.
“We must give childhood back to children. Children must be allowed to follow their inborn drives to play and explore so that they can grow into intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically strong and resilient adults.”-Dr Peter Gray
FURTHER READING:
Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination & invigorates the soul by Dr. Stuart Brown
Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Grey
FURTHER WATCHING:
The Decline of Play by Peter Grey
GET TO KNOW HILARY GOLDBERG:
Mrs. Goldberg matriculated from Collegiate High in 1985. She studied Foundation Phase teaching at Port Elizabeth College of Education and continued at Cape Town College. She started her career at Greenwood Primary, followed by a year of working and travel in the UK and Europe. After her travels she taught at Herbert Hurd and then ventured into Educational Sales for 13 years.
She decided to return to her joy and passion of working with children daily at Theodor Herzl Primary, 14 years ago, teaching Grade 4. The last four years she has been the principal there with excellent results. Hilary has two adult children and loves her school saying: “This is the best place to work, live and be!”
