In the UK a group of experts wrote an open letter to the Daily Telegraph warning that overprotection of children is injurious to their health.
Signatures to the letter were gathered by Sue Palmer, author of the book Toxic Childhood, and Dr Richard House, a senior lecturer in psychotherapy at Roehampton University. 300 signatories include more than 40 professors, 60 psychologists and psychotherapists, and leaders of the main children’s charities and teaching unions.
The letter notes that play, especially when it takes place outdoors, is crucial to a child’s health. “‘Real play’ – socially interactive, first-hand, loosely supervised – has always been a vital part of children’s development, and its loss could have serious implications. Just as the epidemic of childhood obesity recently took the developed world by surprise, too much ‘junk play’ could (like too much junk food) have alarming implications for the next generation.”
The letter notes that adult anxieties about the modern world are curtailing children’s freedom. Over-anxious parents, computer games and school tests are to blame. An increase in traffic, parental fears about abduction by strangers and a “test-driven” culture of education have all contributed to the trend. “The ready availability of sedentary, sometimes addictive screen-based entertainment and the aggressive marketing of over-elaborate, commercialised toys” have also played a part. The letter calls for a “wide-ranging and informed public dialogue about the intrinsic nature and value of play in children’s healthy development”.
We agree. And, as noted in August News and Views, there is growing evidence that liberal play combined with experiential learning (like music, art, social skills, building, games etc) in the first 8 years of life are critical to development of emotional intelligence.
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