Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

A parent comes to believe in the power of play

Monday, April 18th, 2011

This essay from Time magazine talks about how some parents want lots of drills and rote learning in preschool, but she has come to believe in the power of play.

The way games reward the brain

Monday, November 1st, 2010

Another great TED video on the power of games to alter and grow the brain.

Form follows failure

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

This article in American Scientist ask how new behaviors arise, and concludes that they come about because of failures that become successful in some new way. As we have stated many times, the best way to promote those new behaviors, in a way that makes it safe to fail, is play.

Tetris and forgetting trauma

Friday, March 26th, 2010

This article talks about how games can stop memory formation after trauma and nip PTSD in the bud.

Desmond Morris and Play

Friday, February 19th, 2010

In this short blog post about Desmond Morris (most famous for his book “The Naked Ape”) the writers discuss his work, his art, and the importance of play in all he does. They also discuss neoteny–how the juvenile feature of play is extended and conserved well into adulthood in humans and how this helps us.

The rise in anxiety and depression and the decline in play

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Boston College professor Peter Gray argues that the rise in anxiety and depression among kids is tied to a lack of a sense of control over their fate and a move toward emphasizing external goals over internal ones. A sense of control over one’s life and narrative, and internal rewards are things that play provides.

Learning and Play

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Susan Engel makes a passionate case for the essential role of play in the learning process.

Stuart in Time magazine article on overprotective parents

Monday, November 30th, 2009

helicopter Stuart is quoted in this Time magazine article about helicopter parents. It is currently one of the most popular articles in Time.

Everything in life can be learned at the playground

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

stanton_peeleStanton Peele has a nicely personal description of his observations about the benefits of free play.

NY Times Magazine article: Can Play Teach Self Control?

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

How play succeeds while other methods fail in giving kids better planning abilities and emotional modulation. Could work for adults, too.