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Want Your Kid to Get Ahead? Learn From the Gorillas
Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, Development: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Research Reveals: Big Kids
Well, I'll be a monkey's ... playmate, I guess. Turns out a common primate pastime is for one gorilla to sneak up, hit another gorilla, then run and hide.
Which sounds extremely familiar.
Yes, scientists have come to the conclusion that gorillas play tag. They -- the humans, that is -- studied the game being played in six different gorilla colonies, which just goes to the desire to get out there and play is so deep, it's actually pre-human.
And yet, our kids aren't playing as much any more. Oh, they go to soccer clinics and karate class, and before that, they scramble under the parachute at Mommy and Me and You and Anyone Else with an Extra $360 to Spend on 12 weeks of Doing the Stuff Kids Used to Do at Home for Free class. But the time kids spend just goofing around is eroding, and that is a crisis right up there with the erosion of the rain forest, says Susan Linn, author of, "The Case for Make Believe."
In both instances, a crucial natural resource is disappearing.
What's so crucial about playing? Linn, an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says play is the foundation of intellect. It's how we first learn to create: We come up with something to make or do. Need a bat but don't have one? That's problem solving 101: How to become resourceful. Need a magic carpet? That's Problem Solving 202 -- now the imagination kicks in. Who's going to be the Queen of the Forest? That involves persuasion. Oh, you both want to be Queen of the Forest? Welcome to the wonderful world of compromise!
And, if whatever you're playing requires keeping score, add math to the list of skills that playing hones. Just think, all this learning, while still being fun.
Beats homework, right?
Kids are hardwired to play because that's pretty much how our young have always learned, even before the advent of school -- even before the advent of Homo sapiens, apparently.
And these days when we worry, "Why does my kid always say he's bored?" or "Why can't I drag him away from the screen?" the answer might be: Because he never learned to play. He was actually deprived, the way you can be deprived of a vitamin and end up stunted.
Play time has been eaten away by school time, test prep time, extracurricular time and time spent supervised, inside, for fear of whatever's out there. Often, if your kids are like mine, that inside time becomes electronic game time. But electronic games are different from games you have to make up. They may require skill, but not the skill to come up with an idea out of the blue, or turn a stick into a sword or an acorn into a teacup.
Less play time may seem like no big loss. After all, what were our kids accomplishing?
Other than everything important for a happy, successful life, I mean.
Related: Yes, You Can Leave Your Kids in the Car for a Few Minutes
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-24-2010 @ 11:46PM
Jenese said...Children need their own space so that they can explore their talent and creativity. We, the parents should always stand beside to help them learning different things. We should teach them different subjects in different innovative ways so that they love to learn them.
Parents, especially mother is the best teacher in a child’s life. The way, she can guide a child, no other can! However, sometimes, it becomes hard for the parents to help children doing homework. In that case, they can take advantage of online tutoring services like tutorteddy.com.
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8-26-2010 @ 11:53AM
David Kleeman said...Great piece, and what interesting timing. Also today, a piece in The Guardian (UK) about a new report from Tanya Byron on play, and the idea that parents are "forgetting how" to teach their children to play,
Then, there was the piece a day or two ago in the SF Chronicle about kids losing touch with the people in their neighborhoods, because they don't go out to place,
And finally, the NY Times previews this weekend's lengthy Magazine piece on depressed preschoolers.
Sadly, this site doesn't allow links, but searches of The Guardian, sfgate.com, and the Times should quickly find the articles.
I feel a meme coming on.
Reply
8-28-2010 @ 11:17AM
tiggeronmv said...Great Article!
Can't write more now because I need to go outside and play.
Reply
8-27-2010 @ 11:12PM
Lea R. said...Loved this! Thank you for continuing to get this message out. Now I'm off to search for "The Case for Make-Believe"--sounds like a must-read.
- Lea
Reply
8-29-2010 @ 1:45AM
janetlansbury said...This is so true! The problem begins in infancy. Children begin life ready to begin playing on their own. But WE are the ones (with all our best intentions) who train babies to need stimulation and entertainment. We believe we are supposed to constantly play with our babies, carry them everywhere, even show them TV rather than encourage independent play. Babies are born with the ability to create, imagine, and learn by following their natural curiosity.
I write all about helping parents to encourage babies to do what they do naturally. Here are some ideas for toddlers: Solo Engagement - Fostering Your Toddler's Independent Play Http://bit.ly/ccUTb8
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8-29-2010 @ 8:04AM
Aunt Jayne said...Thank you for writing this very important piece!
I have been saying this for years and most parents tell me that the kids have gym class, soccer and such but I don't think it is enough.
When I was growing up, we spent most of our time out doors, playing tag and hide-and-go-seek as well as games we made up ourselves.
We were never bored and there was only one heavy kid in our whole school!
We were happy, fit and I think we grew up to be fairly decent people.
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9-15-2010 @ 8:40PM
Ann said...I'm happy to say that my children are still growing up like that. During summer they play outside with the neighbors' kids 24/7, and on a rainy day like today they're in their room playing and coloring. The TV is off, yet nobody is whining that they're bored. My kids also don't have a TV, computer, or game console in their room. Strange how they still manage to grow up and learn things!! ;-))
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