The slow disappearance of an important activity

While driving to my son’s house the other day, I was reminded of an article I read in the NY Times Magazine section a couple of weeks ago. My son lives in a large neighborhood which I happen to know houses hundreds of children of all ages. I also happen to know that there was early closing in the elementary schools that day. I expected that because it was mid afternoon I would have to be especially cautious of kids playing all over the place-in the yards, streets, where ever. I had nothing to worry about. It was as though the entire region had been evacuated. I’ve been through that neighborhood hundreds of times and it’s always the same.
Now to the article cited above. It was about play-ordinary unorganized, random play. Most of the article talked about the large amount of research being done and the attempt of the scientific community to connect play to some sort of evolutionary adaptive behavior. In the end however the author-correctly in my opinion-concluded that play served two purposes. It was a way for children to develop social skills and solve problems but it was also just plain fun. Why aren’t kids doing it anymore?
When I sub at the local elementary school I ask kids this question. Their response is always the same: they’re too busy. Too busy with video games; too busy with dance lessons; too busy with music lessons; too busy with sports of all kinds; just too busy. On a related note I also observed that in the dozens of yards I pass there wasn’t a single sand box. That’s right, a sand box. That’s the first thing I built for my kids. Many hours of great fun were spent in that sand box with bulldozers, dump trucks, backhoes and power shovels. When I ask kids about it, they look at me horrified as though I suggested they play hopscotch in the fast lane of an interstate highway.
Play is an extremely important part of childhood-and some would say adulthood-but more so for kids. It’s even disappearing in schools. Just ask any teacher how much pressure they get to make recesses shorter. Too much to do. Got to get ready for those tests. I’m convinced society will come to regret this trend.
And so that’s the end of this random musing of an old old-fashioned person.