SoylentNews

All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids Are More Anxious, Depressed

posted by mrpg on Saturday May 12 2018, @03:58PM   
from the that-explains-it dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

[...] Play time is in short supply for children these days and the lifelong consequences for developing children can be more serious than many people realize.

An article in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Play details not only how much children's play time has declined, but how this lack of play affects emotional development, leading to the rise of anxiety, depression, and problems of attention and self control.

[...] Gray describes this kind of unstructured, freely-chosen play as a testing ground for life. It provides critical life experiences without which young children cannot develop into confident and competent adults. Gray's article is meant to serve as a wake-up call regarding the effects of lost play, and he believes that lack of childhood free play time is a huge loss that must be addressed for the sake of our children and society.

Parents who hover over and intrude on their children's play are a big part of the problem, according to Gray. "It is hard to find groups of children outdoors at all, and, if you do find them, they are likely to be wearing uniforms and following the directions of coaches while their parents dutifully watch and cheer." He cites a study which assessed the way 6- to 8-year-olds spent their time in 1981 and again in 1997.

---

Original Submission

• From the Strong (museum in Rochester NY) (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 12 2018, @04:38PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 12 2018, @04:38PM (#678863)

  http://www.museumofplay.org/about/history [museumofplay.org]

  Between 2004 and 2006, the museum nearly doubled its physical footprint to 285,000 square feet, making it one of nation’s largest history museums. The museum’s expanded size, coupled with its high levels of interactivity, also distinguished it as second largest among institutions self-designated or otherwise known as children’s museums. The additions included one large and two smaller wings; two new museum shops; a food court with three restaurants; a new state-of-the-art collections storage facility; and a number of dynamic new exhibits, among them Reading Adventureland, Field of Play, and Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden. During this same period, in consequence of its refined mission and expanded scope, the museum changed its name to Strong National Museum of Play.

  In the late 2000s, as interpretive activities and collections continued to grow and evolve, Strong National Museum of Play introduced several nationally significant initiatives that further positioned the institution as a leader in the field of play. In 2008, the museum began publishing the American Journal of Play, a scholarly publication with a global audience.[bold added by this AC] In 2009, the museum launched the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and began building what has become the most comprehensive public collection of video games, other electronic games, and related materials anywhere, currently numbering more than 55,000 items. Also in 2009, the museum renamed its library and archives the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, after the nation’s most celebrated play scholar, whose personal library and papers are housed there.

  I'm only about an hour away from Rochester, NY. I've heard about the Strong Museum (old name) forever, but had no idea it was such a big deal, looks like I'm going to have to make some time to visit.

  Also there has to be some humor in here somewhere, the fortune that started the museum came (in part) from buggy-whip making!

  Born in Rochester, New York, on March 20, 1897, Margaret Woodbury Strong grew up an only child in a wealthy family of collectors. Her father, John Charles Woodbury (1859–1937), collected coins and recorded life events in scrapbooks. Her mother, Alice Motley Woodbury (1859–1933), collected 19th-century Japanese objects d’art. And an admired aunt collected bookplates.

  The Woodburys provided Margaret with every advantage that money and social privilege enabled. Her maternal grandfather, George Motley IV, owned a prosperous flour-milling business. Her paternal grandfather, Edmund Frost Woodbury, made a fortune in the buggy-whip industry. As early investors in the Eastman Kodak Company, the Woodburys’ fortunes grew alongside those of George Eastman, and their community status afforded Margaret many unique opportunities.

  Starting Score:	0		points
  Moderation		+2
  Interesting=1, Informative=1, Total=2
  Extra 'Interesting' Modifier		0
  Total Score:		2