Howard Chudacoff, a cultural historian at Brown University, has devoted a lot of his work lately to play, specifically children’s play and how it has evolved for the worse since the mid-1950s.
Chudacoff’s writings on the history of children’s play were highlighted Thursday on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”
His research suggests that children’s mental development progressed more healthily back in the days of make-believe, when they would, say, sit astride a tree branch and imagine they were flying an airplane.
In make-believe play, children would talk to themselves and their friends, creating whole story lines based on their “airplane ride” or other imagined activity.
Chudacoff and other researchers say make-believe play taught children to self-regulate, meaning that by showing initiative they learned how to control their impulses and emotions, undertake responsibility, pay attention, be a leader, impose self-discipline and learn on their own the value of cooperation.
By the mid-1950s, children’s play began to change with the advent of television and parental concerns about safe play areas. Children more often began mimicking TV scenes or playing in environments structured by parents or communities.
Even toys reflected that trend. Instead of a solitary pressed-steel truck, for which a child could create his own scenarios, toys began coming with their own scripts drawn from movies and TV shows.
Chudacoff’s research is thought-provoking, especially for parents today watching as their children immerse themselves in the online culture. The toy industry, as demonstrated at the annual Toy Fair that took place this week in New York City, has not overlooked children’s fascination with virtual play.
Numerous toys shown at the fair have online extensions, with ready-made scripts that invite children to take a seat and follow along — for hours on end.
Parents might want to think about how to redirect at least some of that time toward unscripted outdoor play. We bet they’d be delighted at all the mental and physical exercise that can be gained simply through old-fashioned make-believe.
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