The Power of Play

I have been reading The Power of Play by David Elkind and will be adding this to our church library. This well-known child psychologist maintains that it is play that prepares kids for learning. However, with the emphasis of educational products and extracurricular activities, our children have lost much of the unstructured time and self-initiated games that were known to preceding generations. In fact, Elkind says that “over the past two decades, children have lost twelve hours of free time a week, including eight hours of unstructured play and outdoor activities.” He adds good information to a conversation that pediatricians, educators and grandparents are already having about this topic. Parents and teachers of pre-school children should be encouraged to read this book as he offers insight into how children learn through spontaneous, imaginative play. My sense is that families are going to have to slow down and make some changes in their life style if their children are to have this experience.

I believe that this kind of imaginative play can be supportive of spiritual development, also. "Godly play" - Jerome Berryman’s approach to letting children experience the stories of faith - is a good example of this and one that we should use more.

Watching young children play can be fascinating and knowing that they are learning what they need to know by doing so is reassuring. Elkind says that “it is only when we integrate play, love, and work that we, as children and adults, can live happy, healthy and productive lives.”