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The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children

The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children
By David Elkind

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Product Description

In modern childhood, free, unstructured play time is being replaced more and more by academics, lessons, competitive sports, and passive, electronic entertainment. While parents may worry that their children will be at a disadvantage if they are not engaged in constant, explicit learning or using the latest "educational" games, David Elkind's The Power of Play reassures us that unscheduled imaginative play goes far in preparing children for academic and social success. Through expert analysis of the research and powerful situational examples, Elkind shows that, indeed, creative spontaneous activity best sets the stage for academic learning in the first place: Children learn mutual respect and cooperation through role-playing and the negotiation of rules, which in turn prepare them for successful classroom learning; in simply playing with rocks, for example, a child could discover properties of counting and shapes that are the underpinnings of math; even a toddler's babbling is a necessary precursor to the acquisition of language. An important contribution to the literature about how children learn, The Power of Play suggests ways to restore play's respected place in children's lives, at home, at school, and in the larger community. In defense of unstructured "down time," it encourages parents to trust their instincts and resist the promise of the wide and dubious array of educational products on the market geared to youngsters.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #968251 in Books
  • Published on: 2006-12-25
  • Format: Bargain Price
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 256 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In this fascinating look at the importance of letting kids be kids, Elkind argues that "Play is being silenced." According to Elkind, a child psychologist and author of All Grown Up and No Place to Go, important, unstructured play is too often replaced in modern times by organized activities, academics or passive leisure activities such as watching television and playing video games. Elkind explains how even toys have changed: "toys once served to socialize children into social roles, vocations, and academic tool skills. Today, they are more likely to encourage brand loyalties, fashion consciousness, and group think." Elkind acknowledges that technology has its place in the classroom, but debunks computer programs marketed toward babies and preschoolers whose young brains are not yet able to fully comprehend two-dimensional representations. "Parent peer pressure" is often to blame, causing parents to engage in "hyperparenting, overprotection, and overprogramming." Media-spread fears about everything from kidnapping and molestation to school shootings and SIDS can cause parents to forget that "children can play safely without adult organization; they have done so as long as people have been on earth." With clarity and insight, Elkind calls for society to bring back long recesses, encourage imagination and let children develop their minds at a natural pace. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"A valuable addition to parenting bookshelves." -- Curled Up with a Good Kid's Book

"Elkind offers simple, practical guidance for parents and educators... to foster health, intelligence, and creativity in children." -- American School Board Journal, June 2007

"Every parent should read this book...[Elkind] makes a coherent, readable and...fascinating case for adults who are childhood-friendly." -- Akron Beacon Journal, 4/3/07

"Shows parents and educators that the instinct to allow children to be children is not only right, but...invaluable." -- Kappa Delta Pi Record, Spring 2007

"Thorough research and carefully reasoned presentation." -- Central Utah Daily Herald, 2/22/07

"Will entertain and educate both parents and those who work professionally with children." -- PsycCritiques, 6/27/07

About the Author

David Elkind, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at Tufts University and the author of a dozen books, including The Hurried Child and All Grown Up and No Place to Go. He lives outside of Boston and on Cape Cod.

Customer Reviews

The Most Important Thing in Your Life5
The essense of this book can be stated pretty quickly.

Turn off the television.
Play games with the kid.
Encourage her to play with other kids.
Don't schedule every evening.
Carefully select toys/gifts.

Now all you have to do is understand each of these points and put them into practice.

Perhaps few points should leave you with a few questions like:
what kind of games to play?
What kinds of gifts/toys?
But I'm scheduling educational things?

Of course, reading this book will explain all these points and more. This book comes right after a major report on the importance of play by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It reflects on and expands the report to give specific suggestions, and explains why those suggestions are so important.

And I'm going to add one more of my own. Spend every moment you can with them. We have them for such a short time before they are gone off to live their own lives.

Possibilities of Play4
Elkind is my kind of guy. In this book he talks about balance, balance, balance. His book addresses play in children infancy thru the elementary years, for the most part. He talks about what play does exactly for children's intellect, social skills and imagination. I would suggest this book to parents of kids ages 0-7. Educators and the late elemantary set will get something from this book, but not as much as folks parenting and working with younger children.

What I have enjoyed so much about this book is that he is not extreme in his ideas. He endorses tv and video games mildly, and then leads parents into selecting the right kind of show or game. He talks about the pros and cons of these entertainment modes.

He talks about the balance of planned sports/activities, and free, individually motivated play. He offers some guidelines in this area.

He addresses his ideas developmentally, and explains each developmental stage. He will talk about kids in the "concrete operational stage" which usually happens around the age of 6, but sometimes sooner, sometimes later.

I think the American Public cannot read enough about the importance of play for children of all ages.In an age where recess is being eliminated from schools in order to raise test scores, we need work like Elkind's to remind us of the importance of not overscheduling our children.

This read, where I enjoyed it, isn't my favorite book. But I like the info within, I like how it is organized, and believe whole-heartedly in the point that David Elkind is making. It is an intelligent book, and doesn't "dummy-down" to the parent. I learned quite a bit, and as a mother and and educator appreciated that most of all.

Not Elkind's Best2
Elkind, as always, makes a good case for slowing things down for kids. As a Montessori and Waldorf parent, it's always nice to read ideas in support of trusting a more organic approach to my children's development. However, I didn't feel this book had near the power of Elkind's earlier work, The Hurried Child. The book reads more like a pop psychology text. I was put off by the reiteration of his ideas regarding early childhood and left wanting more support of his theories. I also was hoping the Power of Play would suggest some examples of play and elaborations on "what comes naturally" to young children.