For as long as there have been children, there has been play. Considered one the most important elements of childhood, play has been subject to some significant changes over the years – especially during the latter half of the 20th century. With the birth of television in the 1950’s, came the commercialization of play and imagination. Now, over 60 years later, researchers and sociologists continue to highlight the ways in which our society’s deviation from “old-fashioned” play is altering the ways that our children grow and develop.
Old-Fashioned Play – Play in a the Pre-Television Era
Though it can sometimes be hard to imagine, there was a time before television. In reality, for almost all of human history we lived without it. During this time before TV, a single force was responsible for driving and shaping play – children’s imaginations. When children were given the opportunity to be children and play, they were working with a completely blank canvas. As a result, it was up to them to the establish rules or limitations, to create the scenarios, and to problem solve.
Old-Fashioned Play – Play in the Post-Television Era
The arrival of TV in the mid-1950s was followed, not long thereafter, by the commercialization of play. For the first time in human history children’s play was being capitalized upon and monetized. As toy companies began to expand and increase their marketing efforts they simultaneously began to alter the way that children played. To borrow the words of cultural historian Howard Chudacoff, for the first time in human history play became focused on things rather than on imagination.
Old-Fashioned Play – What Research Has Shown and Parents Should Know
At first glance, the transition towards playing with objects rather than relying on imagination does not seem like an overly significant one, and yet research has shown that the reality is anything but. A growing number of psychologists are acknowledging how the changes in the ways children play relate to changes in how our children are developing cognitively and emotionally. The general consensus: a lack of imaginative play has the power to alter the way our children develop in a negative manner.
What old-fashioned play offers that scripted play or time spent doing school work does not is the opportunity for children to problem solve and self-regulate. Imaginative play demands that children create their own rules, establish their own script, and solve their own problems. By accomplishing these tasks, especially during group play, children also learning to comprehend and handle their emotional skills. Ultimately, it’s the combination of real life variables that shape imaginative play (which are subject to constant change) that allows a child the ability to grow and learn as an individual.
The foundation for long-term success – academic or otherwise – is built upon an individual’s ability to think critically and the ability to manage emotions. What’s the easiest way to help a child grow into such an individual? The answer’s simple: good, ol’fashioned play.
Here at CHP, we’re dedicated to giving our children all the resources they’ll need to succeed, including the room to let their imaginations grow. Our preschool, transitional kindergarten, and kindergarten programs are dedicated to providing our students with the perfect balance of learning and good, ol’fashioned play.
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