tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/play-12192/articlesPlay – The Conversation2024-03-24T08:45:39Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2244152024-03-24T08:45:39Z2024-03-24T08:45:39ZParents who believe their children can have a better future are more likely to read and play with them – South African study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581072/original/file-20240311-30-um21gu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C330%2C3020%2C2319&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Both children and parents benefit from daily play and reading activities.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">iThemba Projects</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every day, a small group of women make their way through the community of Sweetwaters, near the South African city of Pietermaritzburg, with bags of toys and books. They work as home mentors supporting families who signed up for an early childhood development intervention. They swap puzzles and stories and provide resourceful activities for children and caregivers. Even the older siblings often sit and join the stories and games.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.unicef.org/southafrica/press-releases/more-40-cent-households-surveyed-have-no-books-home">An estimated 40% of homes</a> in South Africa do not have children’s books, according to Unicef data. In Sweetwaters, my research team has found (and reports in a forthcoming academic article), that number gets up to 83%.</p>
<p>Two decades ago a non-profit organisation, <a href="https://ithembaprojects.com/">iThemba</a> Projects, was established to partner with the community of Sweetwaters to provide opportunities for education and mentoring. (The word <em>ithemba</em> means “hope” in the predominant local language, isiZulu.) </p>
<p>The organisation’s child development intervention focuses on getting parents to read to, play with and talk to their children, whether newborn or already in school. The organisation believes that if it could change parents’ beliefs about children’s potential, this would instil hope in a community with the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498647/">highest HIV</a> infection rates in the world, <a href="https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/Presentation%20QLFS%20Q2%202023.pdf">high unemployment</a>, and <a href="https://ilifalabantwana.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SA-ECR_2019_12_09_2019_online_pages.pdf">low access</a> to early childhood education. </p>
<p>iThemba’s approach is in line with what’s long been established by developmental psychology researchers: that playing and reading time <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20150183">in early childhood</a> has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjac036">long-lasting</a> positive effects. </p>
<p>In a recent <a href="https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10826-022-02334-w?sharing_token=ElJRvEtUkzhqY_-TM1069_e4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY7InKGn6fXK64EbylCyxWRnGZzkr3-N2HoxUUB3Zku3fdZZFZegNXjJckpI494qGEo2LonQRaxOZWFh7kQ4EOMbgbQ5MaaaMrqzZejVjipnxpkpG0NieK7WL7D9wEOjDOc%3D">collaborative paper</a> involving my research team from the US and iThemba, we set out to understand how parental beliefs and behaviours changed throughout the intervention and what best explained their progress. </p>
<p>We know that playing and reading are parenting practices that positively influence children throughout their lives. But how can non-profits support parents in high adversity contexts? How long does it take to change parenting habits? And what are the necessary preconditions? </p>
<p>We used programme data from between 2019 and 2021 to answer these questions. We found that length of time in the programme before the pandemic influenced how much reading and playing happened during the 2020 COVID lockdown. We also found that parents who believed their children could have a better future than them were more likely to read and play with them. </p>
<h2>What the research found</h2>
<p>As part of iThemba’s programme, 157 homes were visited every two weeks by mentors – most of whom live in the community – for up to two years. The mentors tracked caregivers’ reading and playing behaviours on every visit and parents reported on their support system and beliefs about children every six months. The programme encourages parents to engage in some reading and play behaviours every day.</p>
<p>The best predictors for parental reading and playing were the amount of time people spent in the programme, whether they had friends they could depend on, and how hopeful they were about their child’s future.</p>
<p>South Africa had <a href="https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/timeline-a-look-back-at-the-past-two-years-of-lockdown-20220323">several strict lockdowns</a> during the pandemic. The programme paused from March 2020 until November that year, then home visits resumed with masks and outside. </p>
<p>The pandemic disrupted the rhythms of most households and was especially stressful for those with young children. But the families who had been in the programme for at least a year before the onset of COVID were most likely to continue reading and playing with their children during the pandemic. Moreover, the parents who reported having people they could count on to help with childcare were more likely to read and play.</p>
<p>When the programme restarted in November those same families were more hopeful than those who had not had much time in the programme before the first lockdown. As a psychology researcher who studies <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36532158/">virtuous hope</a>, I found this aspect especially striking. </p>
<p>Virtuous hope is morally driven. It is the desire for a better future that serves a common good, rather than hope for personal success or fame; it often involves personal sacrifice and long-term thinking. Even after accounting for programme engagement and support systems, parents who believed – and hoped – their children could have a better future were more likely to read and play even when their daily lives were altered by something as disruptive as a global pandemic.</p>
<h2>Slow but sustainable</h2>
<p>However, neither hopefulness nor childhood development can occur in a vacuum. The work of iThemba Projects in Sweetwaters suggests that a relationally-driven home visitation programme is a necessary catalyst. Unlike many other interventions, this one is focused on relationship building. It expects change to happen over two years rather than over the course of a weekend-long seminar. It recognises that parents and caregivers need support, not just information.</p>
<p>The parenting changes being measured are slow, yet sustainable. Caregivers slowly built habits of playing and reading with their children and reported higher beliefs that these practices were important for child development. Most <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.671988/full">existing parenting</a> interventions in low and middle income countries are less than 12 sessions. Psychology is filled with micro-interventions, focusing efforts on brief workshops. However, we typically saw stable family improvements only after six months to one year (25 sessions). This should not be surprising. Forming new habits, establishing a support system, and building hope take time.</p>
<p>Hope cannot be studied in a vacuum. Nor can it be divorced from the human drive for the betterment of one’s community. This kind of hope cannot be quickly cultivated. It is sown through repeated visits, long-term family-community partnerships, and colourful children’s books.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224415/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Thomas receives funding from the John Templeton Foundation.</span></em></p>Neither hopefulness nor childhood development can occur in a vacuum. Strong relational bonds matter, too.Kendra Thomas, Associate Professor of Psychology, Hope CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2236552024-03-10T22:48:00Z2024-03-10T22:48:00ZBell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is side-splittingly funny – yet some of the magic is lost<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580594/original/file-20240308-18-hd5iby.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C14%2C1885%2C1264&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Matu Ngaropo and Ahunim Abebe in Bell Shakespeare s A Midsummer Nights Dream. Photo by Brett Boardman</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Shakespeare’s delightful A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a perennial favourite – and the production run by the Bell Shakespeare company (first prepared in 2021 but hindered by COVID lockdowns) is a swift and pared-back reimaginingreimagining of the play.</p>
<p>It follows the comedy of four lovers – Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius – who are lost in a forest and get tricked by the fairies, King Oberon, Queen Titania and the impish Puck. </p>
<p>The play also features the bumbling mechanicals – a carpenter, a weaver, a bellows-mender, a tinker, a joiner and a tailor – who meet in the forest to rehearse a play to perform at the upcoming wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta. </p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/25/10-of-the-best-plays-within-plays">play within a play</a>, performed at the end, has always brought the house down with sidesplitting laughter, and this show is no exception. It must have been just as hilarious during the play’s first performance, if it’s true that Shakespeare <a href="https://www.rsc.org.uk/a-midsummer-nights-dream/about-the-play/dates-and-sources">wrote it</a> to be performed at an aristocrat’s wedding.</p>
<h2>Finally, Shakespeare for the whole family</h2>
<p>Bell Shakespeare promotes the show as “fast, funny and family-friendly”. This is welcome news for theatregoing parents. Few of Shakespeare’s plays are suitable for children, despite there being a significant market for Shakespeare-related books and activities designed <a href="https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeare-for-kids/">for young people</a>. </p>
<p>My two boys received a storybook version of Shakespeare’s plays from family members some years ago, but it’s a delicate operation to tell bedtime stories about the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fratricide">fratricide</a> in Hamlet, the domestic violence of Othello, or the romantic suicides of Romeo and Juliet. </p>
<p>Certainly, Shakespeare’s delightful comedies lend themselves more readily to the young. So taking Bell Shakespeare’s promo at its word, I took my son Heathcliff, aged 9 (who contributes to this review) to the show.</p>
<h2>Powerful presence onstage</h2>
<p>Seasoned playgoers will be thoroughly impressed by the vibrant and engaging performances of the cast, who make Shakespeare’s language (and their connections to it) ring as clear as a bell. This is harder to achieve than it sounds. </p>
<p>The delightful charisma of Matu Ngaropo as Nick Bottom (the weaver) positions him as a type of leading man. A galvanising force, Ngaropo combines refined flamboyancy and outrageous sensitivity to keep the audience firmly in his pocket. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580603/original/file-20240308-18-prhzxy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Matu Ngaropo was a galvanising force onstage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brett Boardman</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ella Prince is subtle in their rendering of Puck, the sprightly spirit – so watchable in their intriguing silences and confusion when manipulating mortals.</p>
<p>Richard Pyros gives a commanding performance as Oberon: fastidious and curious, with a propensity for bellowing through the forest. Imogen Sage also shows tremendous range by delivering a sultry Titania, a restrained Hippolyta, and a librarian-esque Quince. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580600/original/file-20240308-18-bbvl9q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ella Prince as Puck, Imogen Sage as Titania and Richard Pyros as Oberon in Bell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brett Boardman</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, the four comic lovers: Hermia (Ahunim Abebe), Helena (Isabel Burton), Demetrius (Mike Howlett) and Lysander (Laurence Young), give feisty performances wholly committed to the verse.</p>
<h2>A subtle set and costumes</h2>
<p>This is Bell’s national touring play for 2024, and the <a href="https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/2024-midsummer-dream-design-inspiration">set design</a> by Teresa Negroponte centres around a dilapidated wooden construct that looks like the roof of an old barn tipped on its side.</p>
<p>But despite this dynamic set (which might double as the shipwreck from The Tempest), there are no leaves or any sort of greenery to help indicate most of the play is set in a forest – no sylvan milieu. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580601/original/file-20240308-28-vh4rq9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The set, which resembled a rundown wooden barn, didn’t effectively depict the play’s setting in a forest.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brett Boardman</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Indeed, this production seems, in several instances, to presuppose the audience’s familiarity with the play. This can prove confusing for newcomers to Shakespeare.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/2024-midsummer-dream-design-inspiration">costumes are</a> intriguing and subtle if you know the play, but may also be too realistic – too bland and “everyday”. This made it difficult for young people to recognise the kings, queens and fairies.</p>
<p>For example, there was nothing fairylike about the fairies, whose costumes were almost always plain black, with no hint of glitter or sparkles in sight. </p>
<p>As Heathcliff commented: “They all changed into black clothes and called themselves fairies […] I didn’t know they were meant to be fairies until the second half […] they looked more like ghosts.”</p>
<p>“Thou shall wear <em>not</em> black costumes for fairies,” he added.</p>
<p>With actors needing to double (and sometimes triple) character roles, they quickly don a new coat, scarf or hat. But again, these distinctions may be too subtle for newcomers to recognise. </p>
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Laurence Young and Ahunim Abebe played Lysander and Hermia, two of the four comic lovers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brett Boardman</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Heathcliff’s highlights</h2>
<p>While the acting proved second-to-none, many typical features of this famous play were absent. Heathcliff found the play “entertaining, but not laugh-out-loud funny”.</p>
<p>His favourite parts were the “horse’s head”, the slow-motion sequences, the fake swords used in the ridiculous staging of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pyramus">Pyramus and Thisbe</a> at the play’s end, and “the man playing the princess” (with hairy chest exposed) – which he thought was funny but a bit odd.</p>
<p>Yet, the performance of Pyramus and Thisbe at the end delivered on its promise. Many of the audience members doubled over in stitches, throwing their heads back with laughter. </p>
<p>I’ll remember this show for the many exemplary renditions of the famous characters, but while Shakespeare’s script is itself family-friendly, the play can be confusing when many of its typical features are <a href="https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136330433/view">pared back</a> to the bone. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-50-shades-of-shakespeare-how-the-bard-sexed-things-up-106783">Friday essay: 50 shades of Shakespeare - how the Bard sexed things up</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kirk Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>I took my young son Heathcliff to the show, and his perspective helped me see it through a kid’s eyes.Kirk Dodd, Lecturer in English and Writing, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2250352024-03-08T16:20:15Z2024-03-08T16:20:15ZImaginary: I research imaginary friends – here’s what the horror film gets right<p>I was hesitant to watch Imaginary. Not only because horror movies are often too scary for me, but also because, for the better part of my adult life, I’ve researched and studied the way children invent imaginary friends and there is widespread misunderstanding of what is perfectly normal play behaviour. </p>
<p>These misunderstanding sometimes lead people to think imaginary friends have supernatural explanations – especially when the typical play involves seeing and talking to things that are inanimate. But I was pleased to find that overall, the film is unusually well informed.</p>
<p>The movie’s main focus is an imaginary friend. He turns up unexpectedly after a family moves into the step mum’s childhood home – but soon after this, things start to get scary. </p>
<p>The film features a little-known form of imaginary companion – toys or dolls. In my own lectures I often ask for a show of hands for those who had imaginary friends as children. Typically, only a few students will raise their hand. But after explaining that the definition also includes dolls or toys imbued with personality the lecture hall usually gets louder and many more hands shoot up. </p>
<p>Both completely invisible beings and personified objects fall under the umbrella of imaginary companions. This is because creating invisible and personified companions involves creating, and interacting with, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.046">another mind</a>.</p>
<p>Another accurate element of the film is the adult experience of imaginary companions. One of the adult characters (who I can’t name without spoiling the plot) had an imaginary companion in the past, but did not remember them until they were reminded later on in the movie. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ema8JNnIQpg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for Imaginary.</span></figcaption>
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<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.046">Age affects the memory</a> of our childhood imagination. The older we get, the more likely we are to forget. Even the organisers of studies of children sometimes consult parents or guardians to determine if there was an imaginary companion that children <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.349">do not recall</a> immediately. </p>
<p>Women and only or first-born children are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.046">more likely</a> to create imaginary beings in childhood – and the film follows this pattern. </p>
<p>The presence of a companion in and of itself has been found to influence later adult life. Those that had imaginary companions in childhood are more likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.2466/02.04.10.PR0.107.4.163-172">have creative jobs</a> in adulthood. There are also accounts of imaginary companions beyond childhood. One large study of adults found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01665">7% of their respondents</a> reported still having these imaginary beings in their lives.</p>
<h2>When imaginary friends seem sinister</h2>
<p>Something else Imaginary gets right is that invisible friends can easily be interpreted as eerie or supernatural. The reason that we scientists call imaginary friends by another name, imaginary companions, is because they are not always friends. </p>
<p>Some children have companions that are disobedient or even mean. This type of imaginary creature is not an indication of having a mental health issue, or any other problem. But the relationships between children and their imaginary companions fall on a continuum where some are quite agreeable and likeable while others are not.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.046">Research indicates</a> that the more that children play and interact with imaginary companions the <a href="https://doi.org/10.2190/FTG3-Q9T0-7U26-5Q5X">more autonomous</a> they may be becoming in their minds. This phenomenon is called the “illusion of independent agency”, and it applies to imaginary beings that are mean and vengeful, as well as ones that are compassionate and caring. </p>
<p>For a child, this might feel as if they are not in control of the companion’s actions or words. It could also feel like the being could surprise them, or even have an ability to learn things that the child doesn’t yet know. For example, in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/icd.2390">one of my studies</a>, a child explained that when her parents are not looking, her imaginary companion teaches her maths. In some situations where a companion might be mean to a child, it could be upsetting. </p>
<p>But in reality, the child is still controlling the companion, they’re just not realising that the companion is not its own person. According to cognitive scientist <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.046">Jim Davies</a>, this should only happen when the imagined character is played with over time and understood by their creator, but would not be likely in a new creation. </p>
<h2>Imaginary friends in the film</h2>
<p>There are some scenes in Imaginary where the young girl, Alice (Pyper Braun), is talking to her imaginary companion and making responses as well. She is completely alone and doesn’t know anyone else is watching her. </p>
<p>Although it may look a bit creepy, this is actually a very accurate portrayal of companion play. The type of speech that Alice is engaging in when they are talking to and fro in conversation with their imaginary being is called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1655-8_10">“private speech”</a>. </p>
<p>Private speech is thought to be imperative in the formation of our verbal thoughts and links our inner dialogue to words that we use in our social world. In <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-33227-002">one of my own studies</a>, we found that children with imaginary companions not only showed more private speech than their peers, but their private speech was developmentally more sophisticated. </p>
<p>Of course as the film goes on there are much less realistic and accurate portrayals of imaginary companions – but that makes sense for a horror film. In the real world, children’s imaginary friends are usually nothing to be afraid of. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paige Davis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some children have companions that are disobedient or even mean.Paige Davis, Lecturer in Psychology, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221872024-02-14T12:21:03Z2024-02-14T12:21:03ZSchool absence rates have rocketed – the whole educational experience needs to change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574414/original/file-20240208-22-ypx67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C166%2C7940%2C5130&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/schoolchildren-classmates-kids-pupils-students-going-2037583226">Inside Creative House/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than <a href="https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/newsroom/severe-absence-from-school">140,000 pupils</a> in the UK are absent from from school more than 50% of the time: more than double the number from before the pandemic. </p>
<p>Not being in school matters – and not only because pupils miss out on learning. Teachers play an important role monitoring the welfare of their students, and if young people are on the streets rather than at school they are also <a href="https://www.scie.org.uk/safeguarding/children/education/missing">more at risk of harm and exploitation</a>.</p>
<p>Absence rates have prompted <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/203/education-committee/news/198876/school-absence-crisis-education-committee-publishes-govts-response-to-report/">increasing concern</a> from the government. Up until now, measures to tackle absence have focused on <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/05/11/fines-for-parents-for-taking-children-out-of-school-what-you-need-to-know/">blaming parents and issuing fines</a>: more than a third of a million so far. </p>
<p>More recently, the government has acknowledged the role played by inadequate support for special needs and disability as well as the impact of mental health on pupil attendance. They have responded by increasing the number of “<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6569af115936bb000d31682f/Expectations_for_schools_joining_attendance_hubs.pdf">attendance hubs</a>”: collaborative groups led by senior teachers in schools that have good attendance with the aim of sharing effective strategies with others. </p>
<p>But very little attention has been paid to what is actually happening in schools. Education needs to be more aligned with healthy child development, children’s interests, and the importance of relationships for wellbeing. </p>
<p>Children and teenagers are naturally curious and keen to discover the world around them. They want to be active participants in their own learning. And <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-481-9667-8_3">self-determination</a> – being able to make your own decisions rather than being controlled by others – is one of the major pillars of wellbeing. </p>
<h2>Exam factories</h2>
<p>But pupils in many schools have very little in the way of agency. They are told what to do and how to do it. Teachers feel pressure to <a href="https://theconversation.com/most-secondary-schools-dont-have-to-teach-the-national-curriculum-it-should-be-revised-and-restored-or-discarded-214806">“teach to the test”</a>, leaving pupils few options to follow their interests, let alone passions. As teenagers get older, the more <a href="https://innovateinstructionignitelearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Bored-Out-of-Their-Minds-Harvard-Graduate-School-of-Education-1.pdf">bored and disengaged</a> they may become in school.</p>
<p>One way of getting students back to school and engaged in learning is to give them more of a voice and increased choice in what they learn. Schools need a broader curriculum that promotes learning about the world because it is fascinating, not just to pass exams. But this will not happen while exam results and league tables dominate education.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Mother trying to encourage daughter to walk to school" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574438/original/file-20240208-28-wtqcii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574438/original/file-20240208-28-wtqcii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574438/original/file-20240208-28-wtqcii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574438/original/file-20240208-28-wtqcii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574438/original/file-20240208-28-wtqcii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574438/original/file-20240208-28-wtqcii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574438/original/file-20240208-28-wtqcii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many children are reluctant to go to school.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/unhappy-girl-holding-moms-hand-doesnt-1595176540">Ground Picture/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>What’s more, schools appear to be <a href="https://cypmhc.org.uk/school-behaviour-policies-are-ineffective-in-creating-change-according-to-findings-from-a-new-survey/">increasingly resorting</a> to punitive approaches to <a href="https://cypmhc.org.uk/publications/behaviour-and-mental-health-in-schools-report/">manage student behaviour</a>. </p>
<p>Students may face discipline for not having the right equipment, being late, talking out of turn or in the corridor and uniform infringements. At <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-66734164">St Ivo’s Academy</a> in Cambridgeshire parents have set up their <a href="https://stivoparentsforum.org/">own forum</a> to express concerns, especially about how discipline is affecting their children’s mental health.</p>
<p>Anxiety, depression and other negative emotions impede learning. Young people need to feel safe to focus well. Many do not. The organisation <a href="https://notfineinschool.co.uk/">Not Fine in School</a> supports families whose children are experiencing “barriers” to attendance. Their Facebook group has 37,000 members. It illustrates the many ways pupils can be scared, confused, embarrassed and sometimes panic-stricken in school. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://notfineinschool.co.uk/home/f/learning-from-lived-experience">one mother writes</a> on the Not Fine in School site: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>These past three years have been the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. Watching my vibrant, charismatic, full of life child, become a shadow of himself has been heartbreaking.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Instead, schools should be promoting the positive. Among other things, this means welcoming students, being kind, showing interest and taking account of their context. </p>
<h2>Doing things differently</h2>
<p>Conversations with children should identify and acknowledge the qualities they are developing and the progress they are making, rather than pointing out deficits and negatives. It also means students feeling they belong, that they <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31407358/">matter</a>, and that they are valued and included. </p>
<p>Positive emotions and mental health are strengthened by <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-32884-000">free play and playfulness</a>. However, experiences that might enhance this in state schools, such as art, music, drama, dance and opportunities to have fun together, are <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2019/04/09/how-the-arts-are-being-squeezed-out-of-schools/?sh=2191b75baaf4">under threat</a> in state schools. </p>
<p>It does not have to be this way. <a href="https://globalestonian.com/en/news/knowledge-and-skills-estonian-children-rank-first-europe-and-among-best-world">Estonia</a> has one of the best education systems in Europe: teachers have high autonomy in how they lead classes and children feel happy and safe in school. The school system in England <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/times-education-commission-how-estonia-does-it-lessons-from-europe-s-best-school-system-qm7xt7n9s">could learn</a> from the independence headteachers are granted to set the curriculum, a focus on wellbeing and no schedule of school inspections. </p>
<p>When policies and practices in state education aim to bring out the best in every child and prepare them to be active citizens of the future, maybe kids will actually want to come to school. </p>
<p>When <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/student-resilience-and-wellbeing/resources/scoping-study-approaches-student-wellbeing-final-report">wellbeing is at the core</a> of a school’s endeavours, children will have better mental health and resilience, greater engagement with their learning and better results.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222187/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Roffey is affiliated with several advisory boards for mental health and wellbeing in schools and is a member of the Labour Party . </span></em></p>Education needs to be more aligned with healthy child development, children’s interests, and the importance of relationships for wellbeing.Sue Roffey, Honorary Associate Professor, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2180012024-01-12T13:28:40Z2024-01-12T13:28:40ZI wrote a play for children about integrating the arts into STEM fields − here’s what I learned about encouraging creative, interdisciplinary thinking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562522/original/file-20231129-27-a3te04.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C18%2C4007%2C2999&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scenes from 'The STEAM Plays,' performed in Michigan schools. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Thalia Lara</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Often, science and art are described as starkly different things. That narrative can start early on, with kids encouraged to pursue a STEM – short for science, technology, engineering and math – education that may or may not include an arts education. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://people.cal.msu.edu/roznows5/">professor of acting</a>, I’d never thought much about the STEM fields until I received a <a href="https://grad.msu.edu/news/steampower-facultystaff-fellows">fellowship to integrate the arts</a> into STEM educational models. I used the opportunity to write and direct a play for elementary schoolers that showed how the arts can improve upon and extend work in STEM fields when properly integrated – but it wasn’t an easy process. </p>
<h2>STEM or STEAM?</h2>
<p>Whether <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-difference-between-stem-and-steam-95713">STEM should be augmented to STEAM</a> – science, technology, engineering, arts and math – with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070331">addition of the arts</a> remains <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2018/06/12/why-liberal-arts-and-the-humanities-are-as-important-as-engineering/">something of a debate</a>. </p>
<p>The origins of STEM education can be traced to as early as the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/morrill-act">Morrill Act</a> of 1862, which promoted agricultural science and later engineering at land grant universities. In 2001, the National Science Foundation pushed a focus on STEM education in order to <a href="https://www.stemschool.com/articles/rich-history-of-stem-education-in-the-united-states">make the U.S. more competitive globally</a>. </p>
<p>A Biden-Harris initiative launched in December 2022 called <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-launches-new-initiative-enhance-stem-education-all-students">You Belong in STEM</a> offers support of more than US$120 billion for K-12 STEM education until the year 2025. But, starting in 2012, the United States Research Council has explored the idea of a <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.709560/">STEAM education</a>. </p>
<p>Researchers have found that when integrated into a STEM education, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2013.09.317">the arts make space for curiosity and innovation</a>. So why the lack of agreement and consistency around whether it should be STEM or STEAM? </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GOYN70wszoo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Lots of careers bridge both science and arts, from game design to photography and engineering.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The bias toward emphasizing a STEM education could be driven by the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/20/more-students-pursue-stem-degrees-because-of-high-paying-careers.html">higher future salaries</a> of STEM majors or the significant funding that is connected more to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00891-x">STEM-based research</a> and grants than to the arts. A STEAM education takes more time and <a href="https://theconversation.com/improving-science-literacy-means-changing-science-education-178291">is more complex</a> than a traditional STEM educational model. </p>
<p>Or it could simply be that many academics in STEM fields lack the incentive for interdisciplinary work that brings in the arts, and vice versa. In fact, that was exactly the position I was in as an arts-based researcher asked to create something about STEM disciplines that I knew very little about.</p>
<h2>Putting on the play</h2>
<p>It took me several tries and lots of research to get the script of my STEAM-centered play to its current form. </p>
<p>At first, I made basic discoveries. I learned that <a href="https://www.invent.org/blog/trends-stem/stem-steam-defined">there is a debate</a> about whether the arts should be included in a STEM education. I learned that “<a href="https://stemeducationguide.com/is-psychology-stem/">soft sciences” like psychology</a> are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09545-0">not included</a> in many STEM educational models. I lacked a background in most of the disciplines included in STEM. And I struggled to find a project that inspired me.</p>
<p>But eventually I began work on five one-act plays, called “The STEAM Plays: Using the Arts to Talk about STEM.” Each focused on a category of STEAM education. I wrote the first draft of the show with a chip on my shoulder, trying to prove that the arts did indeed belong in STEM education.</p>
<p>The tone was defensive and provocative – and not entirely appropriate for the elementary age range I was focused on. </p>
<p>The new, revised version that toured Michigan elementary schools in the Fall of 2023 contains 20 bite-sized comedic scenes and songs that dramatize how the arts are integral to many STEM fields. These include how engineering skills go into designing a celebrity’s evening gown, how bakers need to know some basic chemistry, and how the mathematical algorithms of TikTok find new videos for each user.</p>
<p>In each of the scenes, students can see how artistic imagination and creative thinking expand STEM education.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of people performing on a stage, wearing brightly colored costumes. The background is a screen projecting blue, green and yellow geometric shapes. The two performers on the left have their arms crossed and stand back to back, same on the right." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563453/original/file-20231204-23-wjyepx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘The STEAM Plays’ in action. Performers, from left: Alex Spevetz, Marcus Pennington, Zoe Dorst, Cassidy Williams and Olivia Hagar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rob Roznowski</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Beyond the stage</h2>
<p>These themes emerge from a wider scholarly understanding that STEM isn’t done in a creativity vacuum, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2013.09.317">stimulating students’ artistic thinking</a> will help them both in the science classroom and the art studio.</p>
<p>One plot point of the show is about an evil genius who views the arts as less important trying to keep the arts out of STEM. He swaps the bodies of a scientist and an actor, as well as an engineer and a creative writer. In each body swap, the STEM professional and the artist recognize how similar their work is. In the final scene, the evil genius tries to switch the bodies of Pythagoras and Taylor Swift, only to realize that music is all about math.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A square box with the words 'Art & Science Collide' and a drawing of a lightbulb with its wire filament in the shape of a brain, surrounded by a circle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567788/original/file-20240103-23-yg479z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Art & Science Collide series.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/art-in-science-series-2024-149583">This article is part of Art & Science Collide</a></strong>, a series examining the intersections between art and science.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/literature-inspired-my-medical-career-why-the-humanities-are-needed-in-health-care-217357">Literature inspired my medical career: Why the humanities are needed in health care</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/art-and-science-entwined-this-course-explores-the-long-interrelated-history-of-two-ways-of-seeing-the-world-210250">Art and science entwined: This course explores the long, interrelated history of two ways of seeing the world </a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/art-illuminates-the-beauty-of-science-and-could-inspire-the-next-generation-of-scientists-young-and-old-168925">Art illuminates the beauty of science – and could inspire the next generation of scientists young and old</a> </p>
<hr>
<p>Many teachers have provided rave reviews. “The plays did an excellent job of highlighting the importance and value of arts in our educational system,” one noted. “Students walked away enjoying and having a deeper understanding of how all of the different aspects of STEAM were able to work together collaboratively.</p>
<p>A STEAM education in which <a href="https://www.ucf.edu/online/engineering/news/comparing-stem-vs-steam-why-the-arts-make-a-difference/">students learn soft skills</a> like empathy, collaboration, emotional intelligence and creativity through the arts helps prepare students for the job market. And these discussions aren’t confined only to K-12 education – many research grants <a href="https://new.nsf.gov/funding/learn/research-types/learn-about-interdisciplinary-research">encourage interdisciplinary work</a>.</p>
<p>My understanding of the STEM and STEAM debate and my experience writing, producing and watching how people respond to my show have helped me understand how the arts are necessary to every student’s education. I learned that without artistic imagination, STEM students’ big-picture thinking skills can get stifled. </p>
<p>It only took writing a play for children for me to get it myself.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218001/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Roznowski received funding from Michigan State University from two places. As part of the STEAMpower Fellowship <a href="https://grad.msu.edu/news/steampower-facultystaff-fellows">https://grad.msu.edu/news/steampower-facultystaff-fellows</a> $10,000
and the Humanities And Arts Grant Proposal System. <a href="https://research.msu.edu/humanities-and-arts-research-program">https://research.msu.edu/humanities-and-arts-research-program</a>
The first fellowship covered the writing and research. The HARPwas awarded to tour and design the play. $7000</span></em></p>Is it a STEM education or a STEAM education? Integrating arts into science programming and vice versa can pique kids’ curiosity − a play touring Michigan aims to do just that.Rob Roznowski, Professor of Acting, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2181992023-12-20T16:05:43Z2023-12-20T16:05:43ZThe pandemic limited children’s ability to socialise: here’s how to encourage your child’s friendships<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565202/original/file-20231212-27-w38dwj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=379%2C51%2C5371%2C3104&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-children-playing-having-fun-summer-409391680">Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As many parents and teachers know, friendships can be the most important thing in the world to children and young people. And this is for good reason. <a href="https://research.shu.ac.uk/friends/podcasts/">Friendships are integral</a> to children’s healthy development and learning.</p>
<p>Friendships help children learn to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1350293X.2017.1380879">negotiate social interactions</a> and understand emotions. But many children had these important relationships severely curtailed during the pandemic. </p>
<p>Most children were not able to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02643944.2022.2093960">interact with their friends</a>. Lockdowns and restrictions led to the closure of schools, parks and playgrounds. Children’s social events, such as birthday parties, school leavers celebrations and play dates were cancelled. Even when schools gradually reopened, restrictions such as “bubble” systems limited children’s ability to play with friends outside their bubble.</p>
<h2>Effects of the pandemic</h2>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/chso.12693">My research</a> and that of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cch.12998">others</a> has shown that children missed their friends hugely during the pandemic. </p>
<p>An extended period of social isolation was an unprecedented situation for our children. We do know that for many children the effects of the pandemic will be <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/coronavirus-impacts-early-years/">long lasting</a>, and we are still learning about the full extent of this impact, socially and emotionally as well as on children’s wellbeing more generally. </p>
<p>I carried out a study with colleagues focusing on how children <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/chso.12693">maintained their friendships</a> during COVID-19. This work helped to build a picture of both the positive and negative impact on children’s friendships during this period. While children were able to make and maintain some friendships online, the children we worked with talked about losing connections with friends they had before the pandemic, and how sad this made them. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Girls playing in tent together" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565204/original/file-20231212-25-vvw6a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565204/original/file-20231212-25-vvw6a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565204/original/file-20231212-25-vvw6a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565204/original/file-20231212-25-vvw6a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565204/original/file-20231212-25-vvw6a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565204/original/file-20231212-25-vvw6a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565204/original/file-20231212-25-vvw6a1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Play dates give children more free time together than the limited opportunities they have for play at school.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-children-best-friends-dressed-princesses-2261043923">antoniodiaz/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Children’s friendships can be <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669760.2016.1189813">overlooked</a> in favour of academic progress. However, children’s friendships should not be viewed as separate or additional, but a vital part of their learning and development. </p>
<p>Here are some ways that, if you are a parent or carer, you can prioritise your child’s friendships. </p>
<p><strong>Understand how important play is.</strong> Play is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02643944.2022.2054023">integral</a> to children’s friendships, and particularly after the isolation of the pandemic, it’s important for children to reconnect and interact with their friends through play. Spending time with other children can be considered a valuable <a href="https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/id/eprint/35885/1/Early-Years-Impact-Brief.pdf">form of therapy</a> for a child, and it’s vital for their development <a href="https://www.froebel.org.uk/training-and-resources/pamphlets">and learning</a>. </p>
<p><strong>Set up play dates.</strong> If you can, orchestrate time for children to play and be with their friends out of school. Providing time for friends out of school as well as in school can <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23096155.pdf?casa_token=uZskGiU5FT8AAAAA:GpMa3CZ328OSAG9RIoif_Pn9Q8zC5vYc4aMloDdj4Ij31NP1Nmn9nqtR058imnTsUW1L0KNFNEJ-X50CVyPoftip1ucHZFaAtNezJ-dAQsSDq2D4QfI">nurture friendships</a> and make them stronger, by giving children more time to play and form a bond than they get in a formal school context. </p>
<p><strong>Give them plenty of time.</strong> Let your child and their friends get on with their games, by themselves. Early childhood expert Professor Alison Clark calls this <a href="https://research.shu.ac.uk/friends/podcasts/">uninterrupted or nonfragmented time</a>, and it gives children space to explore, establish games, assign parts and have fun without interruption. </p>
<p><strong>Focus on listening.</strong> Listen to children’s stories about their interactions with friends and value them, as they mean so much to children. On the way home from school or when you have dinner together, ask: who did you play with today?</p>
<p><strong>Pay attention to challenges.</strong> Fallings out with friends are part of childhood and provide opportunities to negotiate friendships and make sense of their social relationships. Recognise how important this may be to your child, and acknowledge that such scenarios are part of everyday life even for adults. Encourage optimism and resilience by asking questions that will prompt discussion and reflection: I wonder what you might do if this happens again? </p>
<p>Do not probe but be ready to listen when children are ready to share. This could be at bedtime or a few days later. Encourage independence but also be willing to step in and talk to a teacher if requested to do so.</p>
<p><strong>Be realistic.</strong> It’s unlikely that your child will be friends with everyone in their class, and you can acknowledge with your child that they don’t have to be friends with everyone. You should help them understand, though, that they do need to be able to <a href="https://research.shu.ac.uk/friends/podcasts/">connect with others</a>.</p>
<p>If your child seems to struggle with making friends, following the advice above will be helpful, as will staying positive and encouraging your child. Talk to your child’s class teacher or school if you feel your child needs some support making friends. Teachers can be great at enabling and brokering friendships.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218199/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caron Carter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Children’s friendships are a vital part of their learning and development.Caron Carter, Senior Lecturer in Chilhood and Early Years Education, Sheffield Hallam UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2166002023-11-06T13:32:45Z2023-11-06T13:32:45ZSearching for the right angle – students in this course shoot pool to learn about journalism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556397/original/file-20231028-19-njpcze.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=42%2C17%2C5648%2C3771&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A journalism course invites students to consider the parallels between gathering news and shooting pool.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/confident-teenage-boys-playing-pool-on-illuminated-royalty-free-image/991158980?phrase=shooting+pool&adppopup=true">Maskot / Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Text saying: Uncommon Courses, from The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499014/original/file-20221205-17-kcwec8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/uncommon-courses-130908">Uncommon Courses</a> is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.</em> </p>
<h2>Title of course:</h2>
<p>“News Writing and Reporting II: Multimedia”</p>
<h2>What prompted the idea to use pool to teach journalism?</h2>
<p>I wanted to break up the monotony of having students sit at their computers and write news stories or listen to me lecture. So I figured I’d change the venue and try something more kinetic.</p>
<p>I had been going to the <a href="https://stamp.umd.edu/centers/terpzone">TerpZone</a> – a recreational area located in the basement of the student union at the University of Maryland in College Park, where I teach – to eat and use the Wi-Fi. As I watched students shoot pool, I thought: It would be cool to hold at least one class meeting here.</p>
<p>I also thought it would be beneficial. My rationale was that I knew there were some interesting parallels between shooting pool and news gathering. For instance, accurately reporting a complex story could be compared to making a tough shot.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the day I decided to convene class at the pool tables, our regular classroom was unavailable anyway due to a <a href="https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/university-of-maryland-water-outage-after-water-main-break-some-buildings-closed/">water main break on campus</a>. So holding class at the pool tables in the TerpZone – which was not affected – ended up being quite fortuitous.</p>
<h2>What materials did the lesson require?</h2>
<p>I rented four pool tables for an hour or so. I have 14 students. Some students competed on two-player teams, so there would be up to four students per table. </p>
<p>We got the tables at half price, so it cost me $16.</p>
<p>For students who weren’t familiar with pool, I provided a link to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmfKI01S-ws">short instructional video</a> to watch before class. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BCvna-0tTpY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">“The Importance Of Angles In Pool”</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What does the pool lesson explore?</h2>
<p>We explored the various ways that good journalism is like shooting pool. To do this, I had each student interview three classmates and ask each one for a journalism/pool analogy. The idea was to have students collect a variety of viewpoints, just as if they were out covering a story in the community, which they do often for this course. </p>
<h2>What’s a critical lesson from the pool lesson?</h2>
<p>Students reported that shooting pool gave them a visual way to understand what journalists do. </p>
<p>One student found it helpful for players to “step back and take a new look at the table before their turn” – a concept that easily applies to reporting a story.</p>
<p>“Finding the right angle for an article requires taking a fresh look at the facts and quotes,” the student wrote.</p>
<p>Another student said both journalism and shooting pool require patience. A different student touched on the benefits of remaining calm – whether as a journalist on deadline or when it’s time to sink the eight ball to win the game.</p>
<p>“Composure is key when it comes to both,” the student said. “I think there are high-pressure moments. Now you have one ball left, two balls left, and you gotta be able to keep your composure, perform under pressure.”</p>
<p>Other students noted how pool demonstrates the need to anticipate unforeseen consequences as they pursue stories.</p>
<p>“It was important to know where all the balls were on the table and how hitting one would affect the others,” the student said. </p>
<h2>Why is this approach relevant now?</h2>
<p>Americans’ trust in the media to report the news accurately and fairly is <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/403166/americans-trust-media-remains-near-record-low.aspx">at a near record low</a> – just 34%. </p>
<p>If pool – or any other game – can teach future journalists to be more thoughtful about how they pursue stories, perhaps it can lead to better coverage and help restore public confidence in what the media report.</p>
<p>There are other reasons why an approach like this makes sense at this particular time. Students are under a lot of <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886344">academic stress</a>, which can affect their overall well-being. As many pool players will tell you, shooting pool can be a <a href="https://www.thecaregiverspace.org/billiards-to-cope-with-stress/">positive way to relieve stress</a>. It also can help <a href="https://www.dovemed.com/healthy-living/wellness-center/health-benefits-billiards/">build self-esteem and improve concentration</a>.</p>
<p>Also, before we shot pool together, I rarely saw students socialize with one another so effortlessly. When we moved class to the pool hall, students socialized like never before. So it was a good team-building exercise. My only regret was not doing it sooner in the semester.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216600/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamaal Abdul-Alim works as an adjunct at the University of Maryland in College Park. He also currently serves as education editor at The Conversation.</span></em></p>A journalism professor discovers that some of the best lessons for future journalists can be taught on a pool table.Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Lecturer in Journalism, University of MarylandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2137482023-09-19T20:09:42Z2023-09-19T20:09:42Z‘Mum, can you play with me?’ It’s important to play with your kids but let them make the rules<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548932/original/file-20230919-21-y0kkku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C24%2C5474%2C3600&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/search/mum%20playing%20with%20child/?orientation=landscape">Ron Lach/Pexels</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Young children love to play with their mums and dads. But for busy parents, it’s often the last thing they feel like doing.</p>
<p>Running a home and family, doing paid work and trying to squeeze in some personal time mean parents don’t have a lot of time or energy to play magical princess dragons or soccer ninjas. </p>
<p>But playing with your kids and letting them lead the play is really important. Here’s why and how you can approach it. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/children-learn-through-play-it-shouldnt-stop-at-preschool-126921">Children learn through play – it shouldn’t stop at preschool</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why is play so important?</h2>
<p>Children love to play. But it is more than a way for them to enjoy themselves. It is also the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvjf9vz4">principal way they learn</a> about their world. </p>
<p>There are many types of play. For example, it can be manipulating objects, such as play dough. Or it can be imaginary, where children pretend they are mums, dads or babies. </p>
<p>In play, children have ideas and then follow those ideas in a way that is not simply a response to what surrounds them. Instead, they use that environment to imagine and create another world. A block becomes a phone, a table a house and a garden the home of a dragon. </p>
<p>Holding an imaginary theme in mind and creating a sequence of actions and appropriate language to enact it requires considerable intellectual effort. This sees children perform at a higher level than when engaged in other activities <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1700947/">they are not leading</a>.</p>
<p>Play teaches children to test their hypotheses and solve problems they encounter. Parents will notice children usually play about the world in which they are living. This is why they play families, pets and other familiar roles such as shopkeepers, doctors or nurses. </p>
<p>These themes may look mundane to parents (even boring). Yet for children they are exciting opportunities to explore their world, find out about the various roles they see around them and to bring ideas learned in a variety of contexts together in play.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother and child play a game with their hands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548935/original/file-20230919-23-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548935/original/file-20230919-23-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548935/original/file-20230919-23-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548935/original/file-20230919-23-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548935/original/file-20230919-23-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548935/original/file-20230919-23-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548935/original/file-20230919-23-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children learn through play.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-child-playing-with-her-mother-7879519/">Barbara Olsen/Pexels</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Play develops concentration and emotional skills</h2>
<p>Often children are seen as having short attention spans. Yet in play <a href="https://www.pearson.com/en-au/media/yfcpe1ax/9780205149766.pdf">they can follow a theme</a> or idea they have chosen for a longer time than when engaged in adult-led activities.</p>
<p>Developing the capacity to sustain attention to that idea in play and ignore other stimuli builds children’s <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/neovygotskian-approach-to-child-development/689200D25144E7D415A0ADE3FF93FB6D">capacity to self-regulate</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-young-children-regulate-their-emotions-and-behaviours-during-the-pandemic-137245">Self-regulation</a> – the ability to control emotions and actions – is important in learning, at school and socially and emotionally.</p>
<p>Play is also <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/257834585/awakening-children-s-mind-pdf">central to language development</a>. Play enables children to use the words and ideas they hear in their everyday lives and experiment with them in imaginary environments. In play they may talk to themselves to guide their thinking.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thats-getting-a-bit-wild-kids-why-children-love-to-play-fight-and-why-it-is-good-for-them-212967">'That's getting a bit wild, kids!' Why children love to play-fight and why it is good for them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why do my kids want to play with me?</h2>
<p>Children from approximately 18 months to eight years old want to play with their parents. Their parents are the centre of their worlds, until their attention shifts increasingly to their peers.</p>
<p>They want to do so because it helps their learning and development. Parents <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/257834585/awakening-children-s-mind-pdf">can anticipate</a> their child’s thinking and create shared meaning in a way other children of the same age are not able to do. </p>
<p>Shared meaning enables to play to continue and makes it more interesting. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-tween-years-are-a-golden-opportunity-to-set-up-the-way-you-parent-teenagers-195910">Why the tween years are a 'golden opportunity' to set up the way you parent teenagers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The role of adults in play</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A man and a girl wear capes playing heroes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548934/original/file-20230919-25-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548934/original/file-20230919-25-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548934/original/file-20230919-25-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548934/original/file-20230919-25-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548934/original/file-20230919-25-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1129&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548934/original/file-20230919-25-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1129&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548934/original/file-20230919-25-jwvmza.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1129&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents should be the assistants in play.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-and-a-girl-wearing-capes-playing-heroes-8949336/">Kampus Production/Pexels</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A parent’s role is to assist their child in play. This means it is important for adults to let children be the decision makers. Parents can initiate the play, make suggestions or provide props. But for the activity to be regarded as “play,” children must be those who make the decisions and guide its direction. </p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1700947/">Research shows</a> when an adult attempts to control the play children become distracted and quickly lose interest. </p>
<p>Play is not instructional (this is not about teaching your child how to do something). We have all experienced situations where we have been talked at, not discussed with, and likely we found it much harder to focus. </p>
<p>Children <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvjf9vz4">need to have this control</a> because in play they are operating exactly at the level at which they are best able to learn. Suggestions from an adult or older child, however, can take the child’s play to a higher level. This makes it more challenging intellectually than if children were playing alone or with peers.</p>
<h2>How much play and how often?</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A man peeks in the window of a cardboard cubby with a young child inside." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548933/original/file-20230919-27-1nvz7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548933/original/file-20230919-27-1nvz7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548933/original/file-20230919-27-1nvz7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548933/original/file-20230919-27-1nvz7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548933/original/file-20230919-27-1nvz7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548933/original/file-20230919-27-1nvz7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548933/original/file-20230919-27-1nvz7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Regular play with your child can give them a sense of agency.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-playing-with-his-little-daughter-3933232/">Tatiana Syrikova/Pexels</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Children are instructed in almost every aspect of their day – when to get up, when to go to sleep, what to eat. Having a regular play time in which they lead, make decisions about an activity and how it progresses, gives them power and a sense of control in their lives. </p>
<p>My work as a professional teacher and early childhood academic has shown me that when parents – particularly those concerned about their child’s behaviour – dedicate 30-plus minutes each day (or every other day) to parent-child play, they find their child is happier and more easily guided in other aspects of their lives. This also strengthens their relationship. </p>
<p>Not all parents can manage this. But finding regular play time when you can is likely to be <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/257834585/awakening-children-s-mind-pdf">well worth it</a>. </p>
<h2>A valuable window</h2>
<p>Parents who play with their children can find it is a valuable window into their children’s thinking, interests and world. </p>
<p>If you are going to join in the play, do so fully. Put away your phone - and sit on the floor or follow your child to where they are playing. This shows your child you are genuinely joining in. </p>
<p>Hopefully, by dedicating this time and prioritising it, parents may also find their child becomes more amenable to parents also allocating time for themselves.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213748/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victoria Whitington does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Young children love to play with their mums and dads. But for busy parents, it’s often the last thing they feel like doing.Victoria Whitington, Associate Professor in Education Futures (Adjunct), University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2129672023-09-10T20:05:32Z2023-09-10T20:05:32Z‘That’s getting a bit wild, kids!’ Why children love to play-fight and why it is good for them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546588/original/file-20230906-15-kbyfn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C16%2C5535%2C3657&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/kids-playing-wrestling-in-the-bed-6684671/">Cottonbro Studio/Pexels </a></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>That’s getting a bit wild, kids! Why don’t you play something quieter?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>How often have you found yourself saying something like this to your children as they’re rolling around on the lounge room floor? </p>
<p>Even if they are smiling and clearly having fun, as parents, we often worry that someone will get hurt or it will turn into aggression, and ultimately, tears.</p>
<p>As a family and child psychology researcher, parents often ask me why children engage in this type of rough-and-tumble play. What is it? Is it good for them? Should I be stopping it? </p>
<p>The short answers are: it’s fun, it’s good for their development and you can encourage a good quality rough play session with a few boundaries. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-your-squabbling-kids-driving-you-mad-the-good-bad-news-is-sibling-rivalry-is-developmentally-normal-186300">Are your squabbling kids driving you mad? The good/bad news is, sibling rivalry is 'developmentally normal'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What is rough-and-tumble play?</h2>
<p>Rough-and-tumble play is a type of energetic physical play that involves wrestling and chasing in a playful manner. </p>
<p>Parents often refer to it as “roughhousing”, “rumbling” or “play-fighting”. </p>
<p>An interesting thing about rough-and-tumble play is it is not unique to humans. In fact, it’s seen in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-022-03260-z">almost all mammals</a>, from <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1033999/full">rodents</a>, to wolves, to bears and non-human primates.</p>
<p>Have you ever sat and watched a litter of puppies in their first four to six weeks of life? All they do is eat, sleep and rough-and-tumble play. When a behaviour is seen across numerous species, it suggests the behaviour plays a functional role in development.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lS1V1U6lJ6Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Puppies wrestle in a similar way to children and other mammals, such as baby pandas or kittens.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>There are developmental benefits</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most obvious benefit of this type of play is physical development. </p>
<p>Children develop <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8507902/">balance, coordination, strength and agility</a> through play fighting, wrestling and rolling around on the floor together or with a parent. </p>
<p>This style of play provides opportunities for children to explore and understand their bodies’ capabilities and limitations. One of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004430.2014.1000888?journalCode=gecd20">our studies</a> on father-child rough-and-tumble play showed children who engaged more frequently in this style of play had a lower injury risk than children who didn’t play like this often. This supports the idea that rough-and-tumble play helps teach children about their physical limits.</p>
<p>Rough-and-tumble play also helps children to develop their social and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004430.2012.723439">nonverbal communication skills</a>. In a good bout of roughhousing, children engage in negotiation and cooperation with each other – they learn how to initiate the play, set boundaries and respect the boundaries of their play partner. </p>
<p>Most of this is done nonverbally. Children learn to read their play partner’s signals, such as their facial expressions and body language – are they leaning into the play or pulling away from it? Are they smiling or grimacing?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-learn-valuable-life-skills-through-rough-and-tumble-play-with-their-dads-119241">Kids learn valuable life skills through rough-and-tumble play with their dads</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Managing emotions</h2>
<p>Children also learn how to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/imhj.21676">manage their emotions and self-regulate</a> through this type of play. Think about all the emotions a child may go through while wrestling with their sibling. There might be: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>excitement at the thought of winning and the opportunity to be loud and boisterous</p></li>
<li><p>frustration their sibling is stronger and it’s hard to pin them down or wriggle out from under them</p></li>
<li><p>enjoyment of the bond they are sharing with their sibling</p></li>
<li><p>and maybe a little bit of fear if they get a bit too wild and Mum or Dad breaks it up, or they accidentally knock something over. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Experiencing all these emotions and learning how to navigate them helps children develop emotional resilience.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two children fight with pillows." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547100/original/file-20230907-2965-bq7onr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547100/original/file-20230907-2965-bq7onr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547100/original/file-20230907-2965-bq7onr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547100/original/file-20230907-2965-bq7onr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547100/original/file-20230907-2965-bq7onr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547100/original/file-20230907-2965-bq7onr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547100/original/file-20230907-2965-bq7onr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kids can experience a wide range of emotions, from excitement to frustration and fear when play fighting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/teens-playing-pillow-fight-7693132/">Karolina Grabowska/Pexels</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Helping cognition</h2>
<p>Rough-and-tumble play is also related to cognitive development. In <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/7/962">one of our recent studies</a>, we showed children who do more rough-and-tumble play have better working memory ability and fewer working memory problems.</p>
<p>Working memory is a cognitive function that allows us to hold and manipulate a small amount of relevant information. </p>
<p>If I gave you a maths problem (such as 4 + 6 - 2) and asked you to solve it in your head, you would be using your working memory (the answer is 8, by the way!). Similarly, if I told you the rules of a rough-and-tumble game, like “<a href="https://kids.kiddle.co/Sock_wrestling">sock wrestle</a>”, you would have to keep those rules in mind while playing the game and at the same time trying to win.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F0no07_eJKU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">How to play ‘sock wrestle’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How can you encourage good play?</h2>
<p>Given all these benefits, how should you encourage good quality rough-and-tumble play?</p>
<p>Most importantly, you want to keep it safe. </p>
<p>Ideally, rough-and-tumble play should happen in large open spaces. Having a designated playmat is a good idea, as is moving the coffee table out of the way if you get a chance before the play starts.</p>
<p>You should also make sure all players actually want to play. Setting some rules around what types of contact are off-limits – no hitting, kicking or biting is a good place to start.</p>
<p>You also want to allow enough time so everyone wears themselves out. </p>
<p>It’s a nice idea to have a signal the kids use to indicate the play is over and which helps build a warm and loving connection – a handshake, high-five or hug, whatever works in your house.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212967/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Freeman receives funding from the Hunter Medical Resarch Institute, Department of Health and Aged Care, and the University of Newcastle. </span></em></p>Play fighting can help children’s development in many ways, from their balance, to their nonverbal skills and cognition.Emily Freeman, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1932792023-07-25T12:23:48Z2023-07-25T12:23:48ZLaughter can communicate a lot more than good humor – people use it to smooth social interactions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539054/original/file-20230724-14014-5js0is.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=964%2C554%2C7074%2C4796&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A well-deployed laugh can help grease a social interaction, even if nothing is funny.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/three-young-people-sit-around-a-table-and-giggle-as-royalty-free-image/1391836113">Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Laughter is an everyday reminder that we humans are animals. In fact, when recorded laughter is slowed down, listeners <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.03.003">can’t tell whether the sound is from a person or an animal</a>.</p>
<p>We throw our heads back and bare our teeth in a monkeylike grin. Sometimes we double over and lose our ability to speak for a moment, reverting temporarily to hooting apes. And just as hoots and howls help strengthen bonds in a troop of primates or a pack of wolves, laughter <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2012.07.002">helps us connect with others</a>. </p>
<p>Laughter is <a href="https://doi.org/10.4161/cib.3.2.10944">evolutionarily ancient</a>. Known as a “play signal,” mammalian laughter accompanies playful interactions to signal harmless intentions and keep the play going. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0lV838pvdU">Chimps</a> laugh. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-84UJpYFRM">Rats</a> laugh. <a href="https://www.petalk.org/petalk.org/LaughingDog.pdf">Dogs</a> laugh. Perhaps even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.31.2.2005.187">dolphins</a> laugh.</p>
<p>And laughter is an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JONB.0000023654.73558.72">essential feature</a> of human social interactions. We laugh when we’re amused, of course. But we also laugh out of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.122.3.250">embarrassment</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1993.tb00478.x">politeness</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.39.1.39">nervousness</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000156">derision</a>.</p>
<p>I’m a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pdDe_8wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">psychology researcher who studies</a> how people use laughter to connect, and sometimes disconnect, with others. For humans, laughter has expanded from its original function as a play signal to serve a variety of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12383">social functions</a>.</p>
<h2>Laughter smooths social interactions</h2>
<p>Amused laughter is a response to <a href="https://theconversation.com/science-deconstructs-humor-what-makes-some-things-funny-64414">what scholars of humor call</a> a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000041">benign violation</a>” – a situation that could represent a threat but that the laughing person has concluded is safe. (Psychologists love to ruin good things like comedy by overexplaining them.) </p>
<p>Laughter is a way to communicate that an interaction is playful, harmless and unserious. It’s often not a reliable sign that a person is having a good time, even though people sometimes laugh when they are enjoying themselves. An awkward exchange, a misunderstanding, a mocking joke – all these potentially uncomfortable moments are smoothed over by laughter. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I were curious about whether the tendency to laugh is a trait that is consistent for each person regardless of context or whether it depends on whom they’re interacting with. In one study, we had people talk to 10 strangers in a series of one-on-one conversations. Then we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0187">counted how many times they laughed</a>.</p>
<p>To our surprise, we found that how often a person laughs – at least when talking to strangers – is fairly consistent. Some people are laughers, and others are not. Whom they were talking to didn’t have a strong effect. At least in our sample, there weren’t hilarious partners who made everyone they talked to laugh.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Man smiling sitting beside a woman with an uncomfortable expression" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Laughter can be a response to an uncomfortable interaction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/awkward-conversation-among-coworkers-man-thinks-hes-royalty-free-image/980443052">corners74/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We found that the people who tended to laugh more enjoyed the conversations less. If you intrinsically enjoy talking to strangers and feel comfortable doing so, you may not feel the need to laugh a lot and smooth out the interaction – you trust it is going well. However, people felt they had more in common with these big-time laughers.</p>
<p>So in conversations between strangers, laughing a lot is not a sign of enjoyment, but it will make your partners feel similar to you. They will be likelier to agree that the two of you have something in common, which is a key ingredient in social connection. I suspect people borrow and transform the play signal of laughter to influence situations that, on their face, have nothing to do with play. </p>
<h2>Laughter sends a message</h2>
<p>We humans have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.01.002">remarkable control over our voices</a>. Not only can we speak, but we can also alter the meaning of our words by modifying our vocal pitch, vowel placement, breathiness or nasality. A breathy “hello” becomes a flirtatious advance, a growly “hello” becomes a threat, and an upturned, high-pitched “hello” becomes a fearful question. </p>
<p>This got me thinking: Maybe people change the sound of their laughter depending on what they want to communicate.</p>
<p>After all, while some forms of laughter are considered uncontrollable – the kind that leaves you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(99)80023-3">physically weak</a> and running out of oxygen – <a href="https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs-proceedings/ICPhS2011/OnlineProceedings/RegularSession/Tanaka/Tanaka.pdf">most everyday laughter</a> is at least somewhat under your control. </p>
<p>It turns out that there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.04.005">already</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICASSP.2019.8683566">a lot</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2014.09.002">of studies</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JONB.0000023654.73558.72">looking at</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1524993113">different</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2017.2737000">forms</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1391244">of laughter</a>. Although their perspectives and methods differ, researchers agree that laughter takes many acoustic forms and occurs in many different situations.</p>
<p>The most popular approach for categorizing the many forms of laughter is to sort them by the internal state of the person laughing. Is the laughter “genuine,” reflecting a true positive state? Or is it the result of embarrassment, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-it-feel-good-to-see-someone-fail-107349">schadenfreude</a> or mirth?</p>
<p>I wasn’t satisfied with those approaches. Laughter is a communicative behavior. To me it seems we should therefore categorize it according to how it influences the people listening, not based on how the person felt while laughing. The word “cat” transmits the same information to a listener regardless of whether the speaker loves or loathes felines. And the effect of a giggle on a listener is the same regardless of how the giggler feels, assuming the giggle sounds the same.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="three men talking and laughing in an office setting" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There are different flavors of laughter, and context matters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/co-workers-laughing-together-at-meeting-royalty-free-image/645973081">Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pleasurable, reassuring or threatening</h2>
<p>With the communicative nature of laughter in mind, my colleagues and I proposed that laughter can be boiled down to three basic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12383">social functions</a> – all under the cloak of playfulness.</p>
<p>First, there’s reward laughter. This type is most clearly linked to laughter’s evolved role as a play signal. It is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00346">pleasurable</a> to hear and produce, thus making a playful interaction even more enjoyable. </p>
<p>Then there’s affiliation laughter. It conveys the same message of harmlessness without delivering a burst of pleasure. People can use it to reassure, appease and soothe. This is the most common laughter in everyday conversations – people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1993.tb00478.x">punctuate their speech</a> with it to ensure that their intentions aren’t misconstrued. </p>
<p>Finally, there’s dominance laughter. This type turns the nonserious message on its head. By laughing at someone, you are conveying that they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2016.01.012">not worth taking seriously</a>. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183811">identified</a> acoustic properties of laughter that make it sound more rewarding, friendly or dominant. I have also found that people change how their laughter sounds during conversations that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-020-00022-w">emphasize those three social tasks</a>. The changes are subtle because the context – the situation, the people’s relationship, the conversation topic – does a lot to clarify a laugh’s meaning. </p>
<p>There is no such thing as a fake laugh. All laughter serves genuine social functions, helping you navigate complex social interactions. And because you look and sound so silly while doing it, laughter ensures no one takes themselves too seriously.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193279/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrienne Wood receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>Laughter is so fundamental that animals like chimps, rats and dogs share the ability with humans. But in people it serves more serious social functions than just letting others know you’re having fun.Adrienne Wood, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2086502023-07-21T12:27:32Z2023-07-21T12:27:32ZBluey teaches children and parents alike about how play supports creativity – and other life lessons<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536621/original/file-20230710-16123-hbig7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The playful Heeler family has amassed fans of all ages.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://bbcw.box.com/s/ji22tfwxhdjokpvkmqj1w8eefn8ucmdc">Ian Kitt/BBC Studios</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://mashable.com/article/bluey-kids-show-for-adults">Adults and kids</a> love <a href="https://www.bluey.tv/">Bluey</a>. This Australian animated show – hugely <a href="https://www.newidea.com.au/bluey-streaming">popular in the U.S.</a> as well – focuses on a family of blue heeler dogs living in Brisbane. The seven-minute episodes feature 6-year-old Bluey; her 4-year-old sister, Bingo; her mom, Chilli; and her dad, Bandit. They depict the beauty of childhood and portray the realities of being a parent in our current age. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0TfM-kYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">developmental scientists</a> <a href="https://sdlab.fas.harvard.edu/people/aria-gast%C3%B3n-panthaki">who study children</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=beCz8i0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">how they interact with the world</a>, we sort of adore Bluey too. </p>
<p>The show exemplifies what years of child psychology research have made clear: that <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16823.01447">children learn through play</a>. Bluey illustrates a variety of age-appropriate caregiving practices that parents and caregivers can use in the everyday life of a child. Below we highlight five lessons depicted in select episodes and explain how certain scenes can provide inspiration for playful learning opportunities for all families.</p>
<h2>1. Support children’s creativity</h2>
<p>In the “<a href="https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-3/rain/">Rain</a>” episode, Chilli and Bluey get caught in a downpour. While Mom runs inside, Bluey is thrilled to be out in the rain and begins to build a dam against the water on a walkway. When her hands can’t contain the water, she tries a variety of household objects – blocks, an umbrella, a dollhouse – to do the job. Importantly, Bluey does not give up and continues to find creative solutions to reach her goal. </p>
<p>Researchers and leaders in a variety of industries point to <a href="https://learningthroughplay.com/explore-the-research/why-creativity-matters-and-how-we-can-nurture-it">creative innovation</a> as a top skill that children will need to be successful in <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-new-path-to-education-reform-playful-learning-promotes-21st-century-skills-in-schools-and-beyond/">tackling the upcoming challenges</a> of the 21st century. </p>
<p>Instead of stopping Bluey, Chilli recognizes how driven her daughter is to meet her goal, so she braves the rain and helps her to successfully build the dam. Chilli represents how <a href="https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/creative-play-the-real-work-of-childhood">caregivers can foster children’s creativity</a> by asking open-ended questions and allowing children to explore various ways of solving a problem. </p>
<h2>2. Use everyday materials for play</h2>
<p>In “<a href="https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-2/flatpack/">Flatpack</a>,” after returning from the ready-to-assemble furniture store, Chilli and Bandit toss extra packaging from their new porch swing into the backyard. Bluey and Bingo use these items to construct a fantasy world. The girls let their imaginations take them on a journey from swimming like fish in a foam pond to hopping like frogs on a cardboard island.</p>
<p>Play experts use the term “<a href="https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/loose-parts-what-does-this-mean">loose parts</a>” for items without a defined play purpose that can be used in many ways and encourage children’s creativity. This episode shows Bluey and Bingo engaged in <a href="https://learningthroughplay.com/explore-the-research/engaging-young-children-in-play">free play</a> with such objects and portrays how deeply children can play even if they don’t have conventional toys or guidance from a caregiver.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Bluey’s seven-minute episodes often center on the importance of play.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Help kids process emotions through play</h2>
<p>Play is a natural way that children <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304381.001.0001">emotionally process</a> a variety of difficult experiences. Childhood experts emphasize that <a href="https://howtoddlersthrive.com/book/">pretend play gives children the freedom</a> to work through their fears and feelings. </p>
<p>In “<a href="https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-1/copycat/">Copycat</a>,” Bluey and Bandit find an injured parakeet on a morning walk and take it to the vet. We then see Bluey engaged in a play scene in which she casts Bingo in the role of the parakeet and reenacts the morning. When Chilli, playing the vet, tells Bluey that Bingo is all better, Bluey protests: “No, you have to pretend it’s bad news, that the [parakeet] is dead.” Chilli seems wary to proceed but, importantly, follows her daughter’s lead in the play. </p>
<p>Similarly, in the episode “<a href="https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-1/early-baby/">Early Baby</a>,” Bluey’s friend Indy uses play to work through a difficult life experience: having a younger sibling in a neonatal intensive care unit. In their classroom, Indy and her friends play “early baby” where they have to wash their hands before holding the baby doll and keep her in “a fish tank with holes in it” – an incubator. </p>
<h2>4. Promote multigenerational relationships</h2>
<p>These episodes explore the relationship between the girls and their grandparents. In “<a href="https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-1/grannies/">Grannies</a>,” Bluey and Bingo are dressed up as grannies in search of a can of beans. After raiding the cabinets, Bluey scolds a dancing Bingo because “grannies can’t floss!” The girls argue and settle the debate by video chatting with Nana, learning she indeed cannot do the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kj3wWKjMSQ">popular dance</a>. When Bingo gets upset, Bluey helps Nana learn to floss by guiding her through the dance moves over video chat. </p>
<p>In “<a href="https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-3/phones/">Phones</a>,” the girls teach Grandad about growing up in a digital world by creating fake smartphones with cardboard and crayons. They show Grandad how to navigate various apps to order food. Armed with his own crayon and a stuffed crocodile, Grandad sneaks the croc into Bingo’s basket and creates a “Croc Catcher” app for the girls to call for his assistance.</p>
<p>Research shows that strong relationships <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu056">between grandparents and children</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.11.010">benefit both generations</a>. Grandparents teach children about their family’s history while children bring grandparents up to speed with the modern world. A recent study of grandparents found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.268">video chat enables this bonding between generations</a>, and the “Phones” episode shows this when Nana learns how to fit herself in the video chat frame and do a new dance. While Grandad is initially baffled by using apps for everything, the girls help him navigate this modern convenience through play. </p>
<h2>5. Foster self-regulation</h2>
<p>The episode “<a href="https://www.bluey.tv/watch/season-1/wagon-ride/">Wagon Ride</a>” shows a common parenting scenario. Bandit encounters a friend in public and begins chatting with the friend, moving his attention away from Bluey. Bluey cannot wait any longer and interrupts her dad. Soon after, Bandit works with his daughter to establish a way she can control her impulse to interrupt him while also feeling acknowledged by her father: Whenever Bluey wants to get her dad’s attention, she can place her hand on his arm, and he’ll place his hand over hers to acknowledge that he knows she’s waiting. </p>
<p>Helping a child develop <a href="https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/">self-regulation skills</a> like the ability to wait patiently is important, as such skills predict many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1019725108">positive lifelong outcomes</a>. Higher levels of self-regulation ability are often tied to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.06.011">better mental health</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2014.979913">academic performance</a>. Bandit exemplifies how caregivers can help build their child’s self-regulation ability by <a href="https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/activities-guide-enhancing-and-practicing-executive-function-skills-with-children-from-infancy-to-adolescence/">trying to make it fun</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208650/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The seven-minute episodes show characters dealing with difficult emotions like fear and grief through play.Molly Scott, Research Scientist in Playful Learning, Temple UniversityAria Gastón-Panthaki, Research Coordinator for Children's Development, Harvard UniversityDouglas Piper, Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Georgetown UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2058942023-06-12T15:50:42Z2023-06-12T15:50:42ZThe Crucible: the real witch hunt that inspired Arthur Miller’s play<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526858/original/file-20230517-19889-626w4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C579%2C525&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Arthur Miller photographed c. 1997. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arthur-miller.jpg">US State Department</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the mid 1960s, the American actress Joan Copeland was finding it increasingly difficult to secure parts. One day, though, she was up for a major television role and met with the writer, producer and sponsor. They were enthusiastic. Rehearsals were planned.</p>
<p>Then she was asked if she was related to the playwright Arthur Miller. She confessed that he was her brother. She never heard from them again. Copeland was not alone. Other actors, directors and producers found themselves blacklisted, alongside others from Broadway and Hollywood, who had been members of the communist party in the 1930s and 1940s, or espoused radical causes.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, people were summoned before the <a href="https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/house-un-american-activities-committee#:%7E:text=HUAC%20was%20created%20in%201938,in%20a%20court%20of%20law.">House Un-American Activities Committee</a> (HUAC) or its Senate equivalent. The latter was chaired by a junior senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy. There, they were required to confess to their “sins” and to name others who had been party members.</p>
<p>During the second world war, the Soviet Union had been an ally to the United States. After the war, however, it was seen as the enemy. In August 1949, four years after Hiroshima, the then USSR <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-explode-atomic-bomb">exploded an atom bomb</a> at a remote test site in Kazakhstan.</p>
<p>A year later, McCarthy claimed to have a list of 205 state department employees who were “known communists”. US president Dwight D. Eisenhower failed to denounce him and, indeed, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eisenhower-politics/">supported legislation</a> which facilitated investigations into communist activities. Two spies, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were unearthed (he, it later transpired, guilty, she not) and executed. </p>
<h2>Arthur Miller’s inspiration</h2>
<p>Miller watched on as those he admired were named. Lee J. Cobb, who had played protagonist Willy Loman in the original production of Miller’s Death of a Salesman, held out for two years, but finally capitulated and offered up names for fear his career would end – as the careers of many writers, actors and singers did.</p>
<p>In response, Miller decided to investigate writing a play about an earlier witch hunt, which had occurred in Massachusetts in 1692. Before setting out to look through records in Salem, however, he was called by his friend, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elia-Kazan">Elia Kazan</a>, the director of Death of a Salesman.</p>
<p>He went to meet him in his nearby home, only to be told that he had decided to name names, as had <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clifford-Odets">Clifford Odets</a>, the playwright who Miller had most admired. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A new production of The Crucible opens at the Gielgud Theatre in June.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On his return from Salem, Miller turned on his car radio and heard the names Kazan had offered in a supposedly secret hearing, just as the names of those who were supposedly witches in Salem had been read out in the court. Ten years passed before Miller could bring himself to speak to Kazan again.</p>
<p>Miller wrote The Crucible with a sense of urgency. Two of his central themes – betrayal and guilt – were braided together in a play which reflected his belief (underscored, for him, by the Holocaust) that civilisation is fragile. </p>
<p>He was writing, Miller told me, at the “edge of a cliff”. </p>
<p>Miller also confessed to me that he was not prepared for the hostility with which the play would be received. As the audience realised that they were being invited to see a parallel between the events of 1692 Salem and the Hollywood witch hunt then being played out in contemporary America, in his words, they froze. </p>
<p>Standing in the lobby as they left, he was ignored by those he had thought his friends. Actor Madeleine Sherwood, who played Abigail Williams, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Arthur_Miller.html?id=7b8LAQAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">had a similar experience</a>.</p>
<h2>The Crucible’s legacy</h2>
<p>The Crucible went on to be Miller’s most produced work. The central character, John Proctor, believes it is possible to declare his own separate peace, as others are swept up by moral anarchy masquerading as justice. But he comes to understand that no man is an island.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe cutting a cake on their wedding day." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=796&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=796&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=796&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526857/original/file-20230517-21693-4y9scd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe on their wedding day in 1956.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monroe_Miller_Wedding.jpg">Macfadden Publications</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The play, it seems, could be reinvented in every country at every time. In China, it was seen as a comment on the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Cultural-Revolution">Cultural Revolution</a>, in which the young gained power over the old. Its portrait of a man who marches to a different drummer, who resists the power of the state to define reality, found parallels around the world.</p>
<p>Miller was not called before the HUAC himself until 1956 and then largely because of his relationship with <a href="https://www.life.com/lifestyle/arthur-miller-marilyn-monroe-wedding/">Marilyn Monroe</a>, as the committee was desperate for publicity. He refused to name names and was <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/00/11/12/specials/miller-case.html">cited for Contempt of Congress</a>, sentenced to prison and fined, though this was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/1958/aug/08/leadersandreply.mainsection">reversed on appeal</a>.</p>
<p>In 1999, Elia Kazan was awarded a lifetime achievement Oscar. The theatre was picketed by many of those who had been blacklisted. Inside, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-22-mn-19738-story.html#:%7E:text=In%20addition%20to%20his%20honorary,asides%20during%20the%20Oscar%20telecast.">some refused to stand or clap</a>. Miller, though, supported him. The fault, he insisted, lay not with Kazan, but with those who put him and others in a position where betrayal seemed an option.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205894/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Bigsby has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council</span></em></p>Miller told me that he was writing at the edge of a cliff. There was a reason the Bible began with the story of Cain and Abel, brother killing brother.Christopher Bigsby, Emeritus Professor, School of Art, Media and American Studies, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2048732023-05-19T12:40:40Z2023-05-19T12:40:40ZTalking puppy or finger puppet? 5 tips for buying baby toys that support healthy development<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525990/original/file-20230512-25-2f6227.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tech toys may claim to be educational – but those claims often aren't backed by science. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cute-little-boy-playing-with-a-railroad-train-toy-royalty-free-image/1281267794">boonchai wedmakawand/Moment Collection/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Picking out a baby toy – whether it’s for your own child or a friend’s kid or the child of a family member – can be overwhelming. Although Americans spend <a href="https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/ecommerce/toys-hobby-diy/toys-baby/united-states">US$20 billion</a> a year on baby toys, it’s difficult to know which toy will be fun, educational and developmentally appropriate. The options seem endless, with search results at common retail sites in the hundreds, if not thousands. Is price a reliable indicator of quality? Are technological enhancements useful? </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2023/04/15-1-Article-2-Transforming-Toybox.pdf">peer-reviewed study</a> – published in the American Journal of Play in April 2023 – surveyed the toy market for babies and toddlers age 0-2 at two major U.S. national retailers, with an eye toward differences between battery-powered toys, like the <a href="https://store.leapfrog.com/en-us/store/p/speak-learn-puppy/_/A-prod80-610100">LeapFrog Speak and Learn Puppy</a>, and traditional toys, such as the <a href="https://www.homefurniturelife.com/shop/magic-years-jungle-animals-finger-puppets-4-pc-set/">Magic Years Jungle Finger Puppet</a>. </p>
<p>We found significant differences between these two toy types in terms of how they’re marketed – with more traditional toys marketed as supporting physical development and more technological toys aimed at cognitive development. However, these companies do not always have researchers investigating whether the toys actually help children learn.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=KhghzJQAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">researchers who study toys</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5KTeq2UAAAAJ&hl=en">how children learn and play</a>, we offer five tips before you buy your next baby toy.</p>
<h2>1. Consider your goal</h2>
<p>When purchasing a toy, consider whether you have any particular developmental goal in mind. For instance, do you want your baby to develop fine motor skills by playing with a <a href="https://reachformontessori.com/busy-boards/">busy board</a>, or to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12280">practice spatial skills</a> by building a block tower? </p>
<h2>2. Look for open-ended toys</h2>
<p>Many parents and caregivers know that children often <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-kids-like-the-box-more-than-the-toy-the-benefits-of-playing-with-everyday-objects-202301">love playing with the box</a> more than the toy inside it. One reason is that boxes are open-ended toys – they can become anything a young child dreams up. Conversely, a toy cellphone directs the type of play much more rigidly. </p>
<p>A good rule of thumb is to choose toys that require <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2018/12/10/the-science-of-toys-a-guide-for-the-perplexed-shopper/">90% activity from the child and only about 10% input from the toy</a>. For example, infants can explore a set of realistic miniature animals sensorially – usually by putting them in their mouths – and then later use them for pretend play, or even to create animal footprints in play dough. Contrast this experience with a large plastic elephant that needs to sit on the floor and lights up and makes elephant sounds. Here, a child is limited in play, with the goal being to make the object light up or play a sound. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Father and young son play together with toy cars" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526565/original/file-20230516-27-epnrbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526565/original/file-20230516-27-epnrbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526565/original/file-20230516-27-epnrbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526565/original/file-20230516-27-epnrbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526565/original/file-20230516-27-epnrbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526565/original/file-20230516-27-epnrbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526565/original/file-20230516-27-epnrbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents tend to talk to kids more when they play together with traditional toys versus tech toys.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cute-little-african-kid-son-playing-toy-cars-with-royalty-free-image/1158481693">iStock / Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Recognize gender biases</h2>
<p>Several major retailers have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-target-gender-labeling-20150810-story.html">removed gender-based toy sections</a> over the past decade, opting for “kids” instead of “boys” and “girls.” </p>
<p>However, if you enter the store of one of those major toy retailers today, you will still find some aisles filled with pink toys and dolls, while other aisles feature monster trucks and primary-colored blocks. A toy sword might not be labeled as “for boys,” yet shoppers often perceive it that way based on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0858-4">their own gender socialization and beliefs</a>. If you look only in certain aisles or at stereotypical toys, you might miss out on toys that your child would enjoy regardless of gender. </p>
<h2>4. Be wary of marketing claims</h2>
<p>The makers of tech toys often make claims about their educational potential that are not backed by science. For example, an electronic shape sorter might claim to help children develop emotional skills because the toy says “I love you!” </p>
<p>Be skeptical of such claims, and use your own experience and insights to evaluate the educational potential of a toy. You might read the retailer and manufacturer descriptions, but also see what the toy actually does. If it fosters caregiver-child interactions or helps to develop a specific skill – like how building blocks support spatial skills, and finger puppets build fine motor skills – then it is likely a toy worth considering. </p>
<h2>5. Prioritize human interactions</h2>
<p>Keep in mind that toys are not chiefly designed to create baby geniuses – they are meant to be fun! So think broadly about whether you want a new toy to support physical, social, emotional, cognitive or creative development while keeping it fun. And remember that no toy can replace <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12378">joyful, high-quality interactions</a> between caregivers and children.</p>
<p>Research suggests that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-3348">caregivers are less responsive and communicative</a> when playing with tech toys versus traditional toys with their children. So choosing traditional toys, such as nonelectronic shape sorters and building blocks, may be one way to foster the types of interactions that support healthy development.</p>
<p>Overall, research suggests that, in most cases, traditional toys provide <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-3348">better interactions and experiences</a> than technological toys. When purchasing a toy, think through the experiences you want the baby in your life to have, think broadly about the goals of a particular toy, try to provide opportunities for <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01124">high-quality interactions</a> and remember to have fun.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204873/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer M. Zosh has consulted for the Lego Group. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brenna Hassinger-Das does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Two experts on children’s play explain why you should be skeptical of toys that are advertised as being educational, and what to look for instead.Brenna Hassinger-Das, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Pace University Jennifer M. Zosh, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2038252023-05-08T18:02:17Z2023-05-08T18:02:17ZToddlers can engage in complex games as they get to know each other over time<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523939/original/file-20230502-26-1a8jnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=251%2C110%2C3164%2C1734&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">As toddlers form peer relationships, social pretend play and games increase. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A mother wondered about her two-year-old child Oliver’s socialization with peers when he played at his friend’s house or when he was at his child-care centre. Since Oliver is still learning to talk, he cannot describe his social experiences.</p>
<p>This is a fictional situation, but researchers encounter similar challenges when gathering information about very young children’s experiences with peers. Yet, it is important to study young children’s socialization with peers, as <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-00748-011">these early, initial interactions set the stage for the quality</a> of later relationships.</p>
<p>In collaboration with colleagues Ayelet Lahat, Holly Recchia, William Bukowski and Jonathan Santo, we used a unique dataset to study how these young children’s relationships form. We included 32 toddlers of two different age cohorts, with children either aged about 20 months or about 30 months. </p>
<p>Each toddler was paired with two same-age, same-gender toddlers. Each pair met for 18 different 45-minute play dates over a four-month period, so each child had a total of 36 play dates. We observed how very young children (20-month-olds) <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254221121854">developed peer relationships</a>, and how they are capable of engaging in complex games as they get to know a peer over time. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two children seen sitting on a carpet playing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523485/original/file-20230429-16-mnyjxf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C17%2C5793%2C3035&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523485/original/file-20230429-16-mnyjxf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523485/original/file-20230429-16-mnyjxf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523485/original/file-20230429-16-mnyjxf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523485/original/file-20230429-16-mnyjxf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523485/original/file-20230429-16-mnyjxf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523485/original/file-20230429-16-mnyjxf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Each child in the study had 18 play dates with two different peers, for a total of 36 play dates, over a four-month period.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Cottonbro Studio/Pexels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Interaction between two regular playmates</h2>
<p>Our study recruited parents in a mid-sized Canadian city (in Waterloo Region, Ont.) by phone, based on birth announcements in a local newspaper. Most parents in the sample had at least some post-secondary education.</p>
<p>Collecting data was not easy, since parents had to agree to 36 play dates with one of two regular playmates in the study. Having a series of play dates allowed us <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1130782">to explore the changes in children’s interactions</a> as they formed a relationship with a peer. </p>
<p>Play dates alternated between the toddlers’ homes, and between visits with the two different play partners. All participating parents were mothers. Mothers were asked to allow the children to interact freely with one another and not to direct or organize their play; they were free to respond to the toddlers’ overtures.</p>
<p>A researcher followed the children and dictated all peer-related social actions onto one track of an audio tape recorder. On a second track, the children’s verbal and vocal behaviour was recorded.</p>
<h2>How consistent are children with different peers?</h2>
<p>All children’s interactions were coded into: </p>
<ul>
<li>the type of actions: for example, does the child smile, watch or show another child something?</li>
<li>type of sequences: for example, a conflict, a game or a series of actions made by children in response to an action made by the peer, such as a child offering to share a snack and the other child accepting.<br></li>
<li>type of contributions: if a child initiates or ends a sequence.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two children seen sharing a water bottle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523934/original/file-20230502-4869-rxhhxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523934/original/file-20230502-4869-rxhhxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523934/original/file-20230502-4869-rxhhxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523934/original/file-20230502-4869-rxhhxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523934/original/file-20230502-4869-rxhhxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523934/original/file-20230502-4869-rxhhxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523934/original/file-20230502-4869-rxhhxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A study coded children’s interactions to understand how children develop relationships with peers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Flickr/Jessica Lucia)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The dataset is complex <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60144-6">to analyze because each child had two play partners</a>, and because the play took place over time. </p>
<p>However, the dataset is unique and valuable because it provides the opportunity to study how young children develop peer relationships and how consistent they are in how they interact with different children. </p>
<h2>Role of age and language ability</h2>
<p>A first study examined the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254221121854">change in interactions over time</a>. We found that as toddlers form peer relationships, positive interactions such as games, social pretend play and relationship-affirming gestures (like greeting or thanking each other, or laughing in delight) further increased, and conflicts or negative actions (such as inflicting bodily harm or disruptive fussing) decreased.</p>
<p>Toddlers’ interactions become increasingly more organized and positive as the relationship evolved. Age and language ability predicted changes in frequency and length of the different types of sequences.</p>
<h2>Importance of initial behaviours</h2>
<p>A second <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276932">study on positive and negative actions</a> found that toddlers’ behaviours, when they initially meet, set the stage for the relationships they develop. So, it is important for toddlers to have more positive interactions at the beginning of the relationship.</p>
<p>A third study on social pretend play, which is currently in press, indicated that young children are capable of engaging in social pretend play — a form of complex interaction — with peers.</p>
<p>Successful initiations of pretend play increased faster as children got to know one another, towards later play dates. Children’s age and language abilities were positively associated with the frequency and the length of social pretend play.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two children seen running outdoors." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523940/original/file-20230502-22-mz7m14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523940/original/file-20230502-22-mz7m14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523940/original/file-20230502-22-mz7m14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523940/original/file-20230502-22-mz7m14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523940/original/file-20230502-22-mz7m14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523940/original/file-20230502-22-mz7m14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523940/original/file-20230502-22-mz7m14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes in children’s interactions as they get to know one another are complex.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/ Caleb Oquendo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Consistent play partners matter</h2>
<p>Changes in children’s interactions as they get to know one another are complex.
Overall, positive interactions tend to increase and early positive interactions predict later positive interactions.</p>
<p>Caregivers and parents should be aware that toddlers develop relationships with peers. Having a consistent play partner is important, as children’s interactions become more involved and sophisticated once they get to know one another. </p>
<p>It is important for young children to have a positive play partner, as a positive peer can promote positive peer interactions and relationships.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two children seen playing with sand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523484/original/file-20230429-18-tq8yu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523484/original/file-20230429-18-tq8yu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523484/original/file-20230429-18-tq8yu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523484/original/file-20230429-18-tq8yu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523484/original/file-20230429-18-tq8yu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523484/original/file-20230429-18-tq8yu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523484/original/file-20230429-18-tq8yu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It is important for young children to have a positive play partner.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Yan Krukau)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Socially sophisticated play</h2>
<p>These findings suggest several considerations and practices for parents and caregivers and for child policy. </p>
<p>It is important for caregivers and parents to intervene and support children when they experience negative interactions with peers as children get to know one another (during the first few times when two unfamiliar toddlers meet) and to encourage positive interactions between them. If a child doesn’t know how to initiate interactions with a peer, adults may model or encourage the child to invite the peer to play games by sharing toys.</p>
<p>Our study documents that even 20-month-old children are able to engage in socially sophisticated play. Parents and all caregivers and educators should provide materials to enable very young children’s play. </p>
<p>The opportunity to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012370877-9.00066-9">develop relationships with specific peers can be fostered</a> by regularly attending early childhood education programs or regularly playing with the same children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203825/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hildy Ross receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michal Perlman receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Lawson Foundation, McCain Foundation and others.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nina Howe receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Concordia University Research Chair in Early Childhood Development and Education. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zhangjing Luo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A unique dataset from 32 children on 36 different play dates provided the opportunity to study how young children develop peer relationships, and how consistent they are with different children.Zhangjing Luo, Ph.D Student, Developmental Psychology and Education, University of TorontoHildy Ross, Distinguished Professor Emerita, Department of Psychology, University of WaterlooMichal Perlman, Professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of TorontoNina Howe, Professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Research Chair in Early Childhood Development and Education, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2041822023-04-28T02:51:24Z2023-04-28T02:51:24ZWon’t somebody please think of the children? Their agency is ignored in the moral panic around drag storytime<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523112/original/file-20230427-28-yq7dun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C6%2C2041%2C1355&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Multnomah County Library/ Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/politics/protesters-clash-over-drag-story-time-event-at-melbourne-council-meeting/news-story/f8671b4047b59f9fc27d8ffee803c9f8">Protesters derailed</a> a Monash City Council meeting on Wednesday, demanding the cancellation of a sold-out drag storytime event at Oakleigh Library in Melbourne’s south-east. </p>
<p>This is just the latest in a string of drag performances for children throughout Victoria being cancelled or postponed in response to protest. </p>
<p>The central message of these campaigns (accompanied by varying levels of vitriol) is the same: “let our kids be kids”, “protect our children” and “hands off our kids”, while simultaneously labelling performers and supporters of the events “paedophiles”. </p>
<p>This is part of a global backlash. Similar protests and cancellations have happened in <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/unhinged-conspiracy-theorists-auckland-drag-queen-targeted-in-avondale-library-protest-speaks-out/TE6BFUOXVJC6VFYMU4VAUAERTQ/">New Zealand</a>, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64610724">United Kingdom</a> and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/21/anti-drag-show-laws-bans-republican-states">United States</a>. </p>
<p>The argument in support of drag emphasises the impact on the performers at the centre of these events and queer community, arguing that the cancellation of these events is a form of <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/03/02/drag-queens-tennessee-law-minors/">discrimination and a contravention of human rights</a>.</p>
<p>But the debate so far overlooks the agency and rights of the events’ intended audiences: children and young people.</p>
<h2>Children as citizens</h2>
<p>Calls to “protect the children” from drag performers and trans people assume children are, in fact, in need of safeguarding. </p>
<p>Such messaging is rooted in a tendency for Western societies to reduce childhood to an <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/au/academic/subjects/sociology/sociology-general-interest/importance-being-innocent-why-we-worry-about-children?format=PB&isbn=9780521146975">idyllic innocence</a>, which positions children as “in need of protection” and amplifies their constant vulnerability. </p>
<p>Children’s vulnerability played a critical role in motivating the adoption of the United Nations’ <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child">Convention on the Rights of the Child</a> in 1989. </p>
<p>Since the adoption of the charter, new laws and policies have been established in Australia to criminalise forced marriage, to remove children from detention and to change the Family Law Act to better protect the rights of children. </p>
<p>The charter details children’s need for safeguarding and special care. But it also confirms the evolving capacity of children to assert their rights as cultural citizens and their need for freedom of thought and expression.</p>
<h2>The power of drag and imaginative play</h2>
<p>Drag as a form of creative, physical and spiritual expression has existed within theatre and cultural performance <a href="https://www.grunge.com/1243587/drag-shows-older-realize-real-history/">for millennia</a>.</p>
<p>Drag and queer performance studies have given rise to understandings of gender as an everyday performance: from the clothes we pick out, to the products we gravitate towards in supermarkets, to our repeated physical and vocal gestures. </p>
<p>Drag pokes fun at the gender binary and, in doing so, it aims to blur the boundaries and expose the artificiality of gender roles.</p>
<p>While the success of television shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race have established drag as something more accessible and relatable for a range of audiences, the visibility of queerness that comes with drag – especially when moving outside designated queer spaces – is an apparent step too far. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-difference-between-being-transgender-and-doing-drag-100521">Explainer: the difference between being transgender and doing drag</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But the way drag asks us to question the socially constructed nature of gender offers children a vision of self-determination. You can do what you want to do, you can be who you want to be.</p>
<p>The potentiality within the <em>play</em> of drag engages the power of children’s imaginations today to conceive better tomorrows. </p>
<p>Philosopher David Harvey refers to moments of “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/40603">free play</a>” as fertile ways of exploring and expressing a vast range of ideas, of taking on power structures and social practices, and imagining new possibilities for how we structure and support community. </p>
<h2>The insights of the child</h2>
<p>In post-plebiscite Australia, the success of targeted campaigns against drag-themed events for children exposes certain conditions around what are “acceptable” encounters of queer expression for children. </p>
<p>The all-too-familiar campaign messages that swirled around the marriage debate – “protect the sanctity of marriage”, “protect families” – are rearing up again with only a minor rhetorical shift. </p>
<p>The more obvious difference now is that the messages have been co-opted by extreme groups who are targeting individuals and threatening violence. </p>
<p>The drag storytime event at the centre of the protests at Monash City Council remains scheduled to take place at Oakleigh Library on May 19. At the time of writing, an online petition to cancel the event has 820 supporters, while another in support of the event has over 3,300 signatures. </p>
<p>Perhaps, then, the social temperature is not as heated towards drag performers as recent cancellations suggest. Instead, a minority of vocal and visible dissenters are dictating the rights and freedoms of the majority.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523115/original/file-20230427-18-f2u362.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A drag queen reads children’s stories at the drag story hour in Saint John, Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The image of a drag performer in relation to a child elicits violent responses for some because it is an image of progress and change and of queer acceptance and love set against a long history of homophobia and transphobia in this country. </p>
<p>But there are two figures in this image and one has been kept silent. </p>
<p>In debating rights and agency, perhaps it’s time to ask and be guided by the insights of the child.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204182/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As drag storytime events are cancelled around Australia, children and young people, who are centred in the debate, have been rendered silent and invisible.Sarah Austin, Lecturer in Theatre, The University of MelbourneJonathan Graffam, Tutor in Theatre, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2023012023-04-18T20:02:44Z2023-04-18T20:02:44ZWhen kids like the box more than the toy: The benefits of playing with everyday objects<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521611/original/file-20230418-1223-8sess3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=658%2C77%2C3604%2C3037&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If children love boxes and other upcycled items, do parents really need to invest in 'eco toys'? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many have observed that sometimes when given a toy as a present, <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-young-children-often-prefer-wrapping-paper-and-boxes-to-actual-presents-70671">children play with the box the toy came in, or even the gift wrapping</a>.</p>
<p>In earlier generations, children’s play materials were often homemade or relatively simple. Commercial or hand-made toys were made from durable and long-lasting materials. </p>
<p>Today, mass-produced plastic toys with <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ueQUEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA25&dq=Sluss,+2021+play+materials&ots=uHtTVA0FaS&sig=3Tyyl726iZarZtpM0QqOe13hgjc#v=onepage&q=Sluss%2C%202021%20play%20materials&f=false">limited purpose have permanently entered children’s learning environments</a>. These toys are often designed to be used in specific ways, with limited imaginative play opportunities. </p>
<p>A trend in <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120194.pdf">the marketing of</a> sustainable toys coincides both with addressing ecological concerns, and with educational interest in play materials that <a href="https://fairydustteaching.com/2016/10/loose-parts">allow children to play</a> in many ways.</p>
<p>A type of play known by researchers and educators as “loose parts play” <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1225658.pdf">involves children</a> playing with and re-purposing materials that <a href="https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Loose-Parts-Play-Toolkit-2019-web.pdf">can be used in multiple ways</a>. This can include playing with everyday, natural or manufactured parts (like cardboard, sticks, pots and pans, sand or beads not originally intended for play) or with commercial toys like blocks or stackable cups.</p>
<p>The language of <a href="https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/SDEC/article/view/1204/1171">loose parts</a> to talk about the use of unrestricted items in children’s play was first used by architect Simon Nicholson in the 70s, who discussed a “theory of loose parts” when writing about playground and educational design.</p>
<p>My research with colleagues is examining which materials — including store-bought and natural or upcycled items — are most conducive to specific types of quality play in young children’s environments. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A toddler seen playing with blocks." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521368/original/file-20230417-24-awxrlw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Through play, children make connections and integrate their experiences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What is play?</h2>
<p>Play is often defined as an activity pursued <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-21781-011">for its own sake and characterized largely by its processes rather than end goals</a>. Although the exact definition of play is debated, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9680672/">researchers agree it is exceptionally complex</a>.</p>
<p>Play has also been described as an integrating process, <a href="https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/school-readiness/according-experts/role-schools-and-communities-childrens-school-transition">providing an ecosystem where children can make connections between previous experiences</a>, represent their ideas in different ways, imagine possibilities, explore and create new meanings. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mathematical-thinking-begins-in-the-early-years-with-dialogue-and-real-world-exploration-128282">Mathematical thinking begins in the early years with dialogue and real-world exploration</a>
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</em>
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<p>Such complexity can be seen in children’s play themes, materials, content, social interactions, and the understandings children demonstrate in their play. </p>
<p>The more complex the play, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/IYC.0b013e31821e995c">more it impacts development</a>. Even a small dose of quality <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395761.013.0011">play improves children’s performance on subsequent cognitive development tasks</a>. </p>
<h2>Complex play, skills and benefits</h2>
<p>The skills acquired in play — including overcoming impulses, behaviour control, exploration and discovery, problem-solving, social interaction, and attention to process and outcomes — are foundational <a href="http://www.tojet.net/articles/v18i4/1841.pdf">cognitive structures that also drive learning</a>.</p>
<p>Children’s play themes generally follow the <a href="https://www.exchangepress.com/catalog/product/bridging-research-and-practice-seven-loose-parts-myths-busted/5025634/">ideas inherent in the materials and toys available</a>. </p>
<p>However, as noted, materials and toys used for children’s play <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190319182447id_/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82151298.pdf">have changed significantly over the years</a>, reflecting societal changes, technological advancements and shifts in understanding child development. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/acAv1C4LYVQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">How to use stacking cups for speech and language development.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Early learning and child-care communities today widely incorporate loose parts for their perceived potential to offer high-quality play opportunities. Such opportunities allow children to use their <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-13642-018">imaginations and explore their surroundings</a> and support children’s cognitive development. </p>
<h2>Education in Canada</h2>
<p>In Canada, Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia’s education guidelines for early childhood explicitly discuss the importance of loose parts play. The Nova Scotia Curriculum, for instance, acknowledges that the use of loose parts encourages “<a href="https://www.ednet.ns.ca/docs/nselcurriculumframework.pdf">creativity and open-ended learning</a>.” </p>
<p>Six other provincial frameworks don’t use the words “loose parts,” but equally stress the importance of this kind of play. While many parents, educators and policy-makers recognize the benefits of involving children in play with loose parts, the basic evidence regarding children’s indoor play with loose materials is unknown. </p>
<p>There are only a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-017-9220-9">handful of empirical studies on indoor loose parts play with limited focus on its developmental benefits</a> beyond children’s physical and social development. Research has narrowly focused on children’s outdoor play with loose parts and mostly on <a href="https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs.v42i4.18103">physical</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12025">social development</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Children seen with sand and toys." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521367/original/file-20230417-26-drtsuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What is the relationship between children’s indoor play with loose parts and children’s cognitive skills?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Current research has not examined children’s indoor play with loose parts and its relationship to children’s cognitive skills. As a result, educators and policy-makers have little empirical evidence on which to base important decisions about what materials to invest in and integrate into children’s learning environments.</p>
<h2>Equitable play opportunities</h2>
<p>Children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds start kindergarten disproportionately behind their more affluent and privileged peers in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.91.1.116">knowledge and educational performance</a>. </p>
<p>Low-income families <a href="https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2022/01/5-2-article-the-use-of-play-materials-in-early-intervention_0.pdf">often cannot afford toys</a> for children. Could household objects (like plastic tubs or egg cartons) offer equitable play opportunities for all children, if early childhood programs and professionals supported parents with up-cycling items into play things? </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-spotlights-equity-and-access-issues-with-childrens-right-to-play-137187">Coronavirus spotlights equity and access issues with children's right to play</a>
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<p>My colleagues and I are conducting research to address gaps in our understanding of children’s loose parts play. Specifically, we examine the play types and play engagement levels of children between the ages of four and five who participate in our study. </p>
<p>We also take into account the effects of children’s cognitive development, parental income and education on how young children play with everyday objects, both when they play by themselves and with their parents. </p>
<p>We just finished collecting data in the first phase of our studies focused on children’s solitary play. Children were given opportunities to play with either a box of carefully curated loose parts like blocks, felt balls, yarn, pinecones or a toy that had only a limited function: percussion instruments.</p>
<h2>Cognitive and language development</h2>
<p>We collected data using video recordings of children’s play in two sessions (one with loose parts and the other session with the limited-purpose toy as a control), parent questionnaires and a cognitive measurement tool for benchmarking children’s cognitive and language development. </p>
<p>We are now analyzing crucial relationships between children’s play with different loose objects and children’s cognitive development, and considering key social determinants such as gender, socioeconomic status and maternal education. </p>
<p>Such knowledge will support educators and parents with an understanding of which materials are most conducive to specific types of quality play in young children’s environments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ozlem Cankaya is affiliated with Terra Centre and Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Child Care. MacEwan University funds Dr. Cankaya's loose parts play research. </span></em></p>How should we understand what toys or ‘loose part’ materials support children’s play, and what’s the relationship of parents’ education and income to this? A study aims to find out.Ozlem Cankaya, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Curriculum Studies, MacEwan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2029472023-04-06T06:30:31Z2023-04-06T06:30:31ZHoliday help! An art expert suggests screen-free things to do in every room of the house<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518945/original/file-20230403-26-p77pnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C25%2C5599%2C3640&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keren Fedida/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>School holidays can feel like a marathon if all the kids want to do is watch TV, play Minecraft or repeatedly ask you for the iPad.</p>
<p>There are lots of things you can do inside the house that do not involve a screen. And will help ward off any whines along the lines of: “I’m booooooored”.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-set-up-a-kids-art-studio-at-home-and-learn-to-love-the-mess-196026">previous piece</a> I talked about how to set up an art studio at home. This time, here are five creative ideas to try in every room of the house. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-set-up-a-kids-art-studio-at-home-and-learn-to-love-the-mess-196026">How to set up a kids' art studio at home (and learn to love the mess)</a>
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<h2>In the kitchen: make your own paint</h2>
<p>Kids enjoy making potions in the garden by adding dirt and flowers and you can have similar fun in the kitchen making paint from ingredients in the cupboard. </p>
<p>Paint is made with pigment and a binder. The <a href="https://www.earthdate.org/episodes/the-colorful-history-of-paint#:%7E:text=By%2040%2C000%20years%20ago%2C%20tribes,and%20roots%2C%20and%20many%20minerals.">first paint on cave walls</a> was made with charcoal, ochre, minerals mixed with water, saliva, blood, animal fat and even wee. The history of paint is fascinating and kids are intrigued by the stories, like how a certain purple (tyrian) comes from the <a href="https://exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu/ancient-color/map_purple.php">glands of sea snails</a> and how a type of yellow was cruelly made from <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180906-did-animal-cruelty-create-indian-yellow">cow wee</a>, after forcing them to eat mango leaves. </p>
<p>You can make your own paint with spices like turmeric, curry powder and cinnamon or hunt through the house for chalk and eye shadow for a variety of colours. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Ground turmeric" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518936/original/file-20230403-16-1dhaqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518936/original/file-20230403-16-1dhaqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518936/original/file-20230403-16-1dhaqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518936/original/file-20230403-16-1dhaqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518936/original/file-20230403-16-1dhaqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518936/original/file-20230403-16-1dhaqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518936/original/file-20230403-16-1dhaqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ground tumeric can be turned into paint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Grind the pigments up with a mortar and pestle (some will need this more than others but it’s a fun part of the process). Then in a glass or jar, mix your ground pigments with a bit of egg yolk, a teaspoon of vinegar and a small amount of water as a binder and you have made <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/tempera-painting">egg tempera</a> – a type of paint the Egyptians discovered and some artists still use today. </p>
<p>Experiment with other spices, berries, grass or charcoal. If it’s colourful, you can grind it and its not too lumpy, give it a go. See how many colours you can make, then make a painting.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/screen-time-for-kids-is-an-outdated-concept-so-lets-ditch-it-and-focus-on-quality-instead-186462">'Screen time' for kids is an outdated concept, so let's ditch it and focus on quality instead</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<h2>In the living room: create a box masterpiece</h2>
<p>Kids who may not like to draw or paint often love construction. So, collect different types of boxes and see what your child can create. </p>
<p>Apart from the boxes, you will also need masking tape. Kids can tear it themselves, or use a dispenser. Staplers and hole punchers are good connectors too. Also give them some thick markers, fabric scraps and glue to add details to their creations. </p>
<p>One holiday, we lived around my daughter’s construction zone as she worked with cardboard, other items from the recycling bin and things from around the house to make her own house.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519176/original/file-20230404-20-my260t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cardboard boxes and everyday household items can be turned into a holiday home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Naomi Zouwer</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>In your child’s bedroom: paint a mural</h2>
<p>This won’t be possible for everyone, but think about letting your child paint a mural in their bedroom. My mum let us create fantastic scenes in our bedrooms growing up. </p>
<p>Start by mapping out a basic design on paper. This slows the process down, allowing the child to think about what they would like on their walls. But be prepared for the plan to go out the window. Sometimes as artists we respond to the materials when we get them in our hands.</p>
<p>The trick to creating a successful mural with kids is selecting a good colour palette and you really can’t go wrong.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child paints a flower on a wall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518940/original/file-20230403-28-itefrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518940/original/file-20230403-28-itefrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518940/original/file-20230403-28-itefrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518940/original/file-20230403-28-itefrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518940/original/file-20230403-28-itefrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518940/original/file-20230403-28-itefrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518940/original/file-20230403-28-itefrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Start with a mural plan but be prepared to ditch it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Get some sample-sized pots of water-based interior paint and bristle brushes from the hardware shop. Then tape a drop sheet to the floor and cover anything else you don’t want covered in paint and go for it! </p>
<p>If this is too freestyle for you, have a look at the wonderful “field of flowers” activity in Hervé Tullet’s book, <a href="https://www.phaidon.com/phaidon-kids/ages-3-5/art-workshops-for-children-9780714869735/">Art Workshops for Children</a>. This is a more structured approach to a collaborative painting and yields beautiful results (it starts with dots, then dots within dots and you end up with a field of flowers). </p>
<p>If this is not possible where you live, consider liquid chalk pens to create murals on the windows. This is so much fun and you can play with tracing things outside the window. </p>
<p>Pick an array of colours and overlap line drawings to build up patterns on the glass. This is so easy to clean too – just wipe it off with a wet cloth.</p>
<h2>In the dining room: make a comic</h2>
<p>The dining table is the perfect spot for projects and drawing. I find kids love creating comics. The book <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/1/8/21024723/lynda-barry-interview-making-comics-book">Making Comics</a> by Lynda Barry has excellent exercises to get you started on comic strips, storyboards and zines. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1073&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1073&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519177/original/file-20230404-24-fr2hi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1073&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘A day at the museum’ by T Slater, aged 5.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Naomi Zouwer</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Zines are mini DIY booklets. You can fill them with ideas using drawing, collage and words. Check out my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5QuKshVL-4">how to make a zine video</a> done for the National Museum of Australia’s <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/ancient-greeks">Ancient Greeks exhibition</a> last year.</p>
<p>You could do something similar: take your young person to see an exhibition, collect some flyers or postcards, and then at home cut them up and stick them into a zine. This can extend your child’s museum experience, and provides a chance to discuss and make sense of what you saw together. </p>
<p>Children use drawing to make sense of the world around them. When my son was five, he made a comic about a gallery experience: how he didn’t want to go, how he felt about some of the artworks, and how he was relieved to get out because he was scared by some of the work. </p>
<p>This gave me the opportunity to see how strongly he was affected by the exhibition and we were able to talk about those feelings. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U5QuKshVL-4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>In the bathroom: crack open the shaving cream</h2>
<p>Shaving cream is a <a href="https://artfulparent.com/shaving-cream-art-play-round-up-of-ideas/">great medium</a> with endless possibilities for <a href="https://www.goodstart.org.au/parenting/exploring-the-benefits-of-sensory-play">sensory play</a>, which helps brain development, motor skills and more. </p>
<p>You can make slime by adding a cup of glue to two cups of shaving cream and sprinkling a teaspoon of baking powder in the mix, plus two teaspoons of saline solution. Add food dye for a marble effect, make prints and paint with it onto a mirror or bathtub. </p>
<p>You can also use it to make sculptures. Start with a shampoo bottle as your armature (inner structure) and build your form around it. Take photos of the sculptures as a way of recording the ephemeral creations. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Green and blue dye mixed into shaving cream." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518932/original/file-20230403-3782-se4i4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518932/original/file-20230403-3782-se4i4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518932/original/file-20230403-3782-se4i4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518932/original/file-20230403-3782-se4i4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518932/original/file-20230403-3782-se4i4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518932/original/file-20230403-3782-se4i4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518932/original/file-20230403-3782-se4i4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Add food dye to shaving cream for a creative bathroom activity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Try adding cornstarch to the shaving cream and play with the proportions until you have developed a malleable substance. The transformation of the substance is quite remarkable and kids love the tactile quality of this mixture.</p>
<p>In the end, kids have the best ideas, so just take some time to ask them what kinds of creative activities they might like to explore over the holidays and let them take the lead. The important thing here is to let go, enjoy the process and play – worry about cleaning up later!</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-sand-play-4-tips-from-a-sculptor-195209">How to get the most out of sand play: 4 tips from a sculptor</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202947/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Naomi Zouwer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From the kitchen to the bedroom and bathroom, here are five creative ideas to try in every room of the house.Naomi Zouwer, Visual Artist and Lecturer in Teacher Education, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2010702023-03-27T12:23:20Z2023-03-27T12:23:20ZWhy don’t parents like their kids to play with toy guns?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517278/original/file-20230323-28-6zjl2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1035%2C1107%2C6237%2C4190&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Even playing with a fake gun comes with risks.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/children-playing-with-water-gun-squirt-in-the-royalty-free-image/1280086198">sarote pruksachat/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795">Curious Kids</a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">curiouskidsus@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Why don’t parents like their kids to play with fake guns? – Henry, age 11, Somerville, Massachusetts</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>A major reason parents don’t like kids to play with pretend guns is they’re afraid you’ll get hurt.</p>
<p>It can be hard for others to tell if a gun is real or just a toy. While you and your friends might be able to tell it’s a harmless game, others won’t be so sure. Someone could mistake your toy gun for a real gun, see you as a threat and try to defend themselves, hurting you in the process.</p>
<p><a href="https://wisqars.cdc.gov/reports/?o=MORT&y1=2020&y2=2020&t=0&i=0&m=20890&g=00&me=0&s=0&r=0&e=0&yp=65&a=5Yr&g1=0&g2=15&a1=0&a2=199&r1=INTENT&r2=NONE&r3=NONE&r4=NONE">Hundreds of children die because of gun violence each year</a> in the United States. Because of these numbers, people like us – <a href="https://epi.washington.edu/faculty/rivara-frederick/">a pediatrician</a> who has worked on firearm violence for 40 years and a <a href="https://psychiatry.uw.edu/profile/laura-prater/">firearm injury prevention researcher</a> – are very concerned about firearms that are not stored properly and the injuries they can cause.</p>
<p>Some of the toy guns available for kids and parents to buy look very much like real guns, including pistols and rifles. Because these toys look so real, kids who come across a real gun may not realize it’s dangerous and not a toy. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.107.6.1247">They may pick it up, fiddle around with it</a>, point it at a friend or themselves and pull the trigger. <a href="https://wisqars.cdc.gov/reports/?o=MORT&y1=2020&y2=2020&t=0&i=0&m=20890&g=00&me=0&s=0&r=0&e=0&yp=65&a=5Yr&g1=0&g2=15&a1=0&a2=199&r1=INTENT&r2=NONE&r3=NONE&r4=NONE">More than 100 children are killed</a> each year in the U.S. because they or a friend were handling a gun that unintentionally went off.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="boy playing with colorful water gun" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Certain kinds of games and play can influence how kids try to solve real world problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/boy-in-park-shooting-pump-action-water-pistol-royalty-free-image/103579216">moodboard/Image Source via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Violent games encourage violence</h2>
<p>Playing with toy guns can also affect the way you interact with the world and think about how to solve problems. Researchers have found that just seeing weapons can make people act more aggressively – this is called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.58.4.622">weapons effect</a>, and it applies to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.3824">toy guns</a>. After watching a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.2229">movie that contains a lot of gun violence</a>, kids tend to be more interested in playing with guns, too. These are reasons parents may want to limit kids’ exposure to movies and TV shows that feature guns and prefer for kids to play with nonweapon toys.</p>
<p>Playing games that involve violence can make you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2021.06.005">more comfortable with violence and aggression</a>. Kids can even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.10.002">become more violent themselves</a>. Researchers have found that kids who play a lot of violent video games tend to show more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4319">signs of aggression</a> than those who don’t play them.</p>
<p>We worry that kids who play a lot of shooting video games and with toy guns will believe that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2013.09.004">settling arguments with violence and guns</a> is the right thing to do, when there are more constructive ways to resolve disputes.</p>
<h2>Real guns are not toys</h2>
<p>Adults who have firearms at home have a responsibility to keep them locked up and to prevent anyone from inappropriately accessing and using them. But some people who have firearms <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.1447">don’t lock them up</a>. Or they keep them loaded with ammunition, which is very unsafe. It is always best to treat a gun as if it is real and loaded.</p>
<p><a href="https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/gun-safety.html">What should kids do</a> if they find a firearm in their home or at a friend’s? The answer is very simple: Do not touch it. Leave it alone and tell an adult – even if you think it may be a toy. Checking it out yourself may cause the gun to go off accidentally and hurt someone if it turns out to be real.</p>
<p>The same is true at school. If you find a gun or hear classmates talking about a firearm, tell a teacher. Even if you worry your friends will get mad, telling a teacher could help prevent a serious or even deadly injury.</p>
<p>Parents who are responsible gun owners will teach their children about gun safety and how to handle and shoot them safely. But if you’re a school-age kid, you should never handle a gun by yourself.</p>
<p>Playing with or handling guns – real or fake – is dangerous and can be deadly.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com</a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.</em></p>
<p><em>And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201070/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frederick Rivara receives funding from NIH. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Prater does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even fake guns can be dangerous if they are mistaken for real ones by the police or other armed adults.Frederick Rivara, Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of WashingtonLaura Prater, Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1986602023-03-21T20:10:20Z2023-03-21T20:10:20ZNetflix’s Matilda shows how children’s gifts can only shine with loving support from adults<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512332/original/file-20230227-1630-egtp39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C307%2C2020%2C1103&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Every child deserves adults in their lives who model the importance of loving human connection and exploration. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/matilda-why-this-netflix-musical-film-is-an-underrated-masterpiece"><em>Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical</em></a> on Netflix reminds us of the importance of love, kindness and respect in education. The film is adapted from <a href="https://mashable.com/article/matilda-the-musical-movie-review">the award-winning dramatic musical</a> inspired by <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/319178/matilda-by-roald-dahl/9780241558300">Roald Dahl’s novel <em>Matilda</em>.</a></p>
<p>The fictional Matilda is <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/10/13/emma-thompson-is-the-horrible-miss-trunchbull-in-new-matilda-trailer/">born into an abusive family</a> whose parents forget to enrol her in school. </p>
<p>All humans need love and care; we are born to and for love. Our <a href="https://www.oecd.org/education/2030/E2030%20Position%20Paper%20(05.04.2018).pdf">education systems must prepare children for a technologically advanced</a> world and precarious future, requiring education to support the development of children’s <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consulting/articles/future-skills-keeping-the-workforce-human.html">uniquely human skills such as creativity and empathy</a>. </p>
<p>Matilda’s (Alisha Weir) curiosity drove her to learn. She develops a loving connection with the librarian of a mobile library, <a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/who-is-matilda-alisha-weir-cast-guide">Mrs. Phelps (Sindhu Vee)</a>. Through this connection, Matilda is encouraged in her love of reading and learning through inquiry and play. She becomes <a href="https://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2004/04/Young-Children-Develop-in-an-Environment-of-Relationships.pdf">seen for her uniqueness and supported in her development</a>, a bumpy journey that continues at her new school. </p>
<h2>Learning through curiosity and play</h2>
<p>Children <a href="https://learningthroughplay.com/">learn through play</a>. It allows them to develop holistically, through exploration, discovery, failure, determination and fun. </p>
<p>Matilda enters school with an expectation of curiosity, discovery, intellectual and physical play and fun. But she is met with rules, barriers and rigidity. </p>
<p>Headmistress Trunchbull (Emma Thompson) punishes children for expressing themselves, stating “<a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stuff-to-watch/300769680/roald-dahls-matilda-the-musical-emma-thompsons-trunchbull-steals-the-show-for-netflix">we are not here to encourage or nurture</a>,” and “<a href="https://www.mtishows.co.uk/script/19047273?width=600&height=400">to teach the child we must first break the child</a>.” Complacency is rewarded through the fear <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye0EYd163vc">of “The Chokey”</a> — a solitary confinement space. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EzKASl2T9d0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for Neflix’s ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the mobile library with Mrs. Phelps, Matilda is supported to <a href="https://youtu.be/vR2P5vW-nVc">play with ideas and use her imagination</a>. She becomes free and confident to explore, learn and follow her curiosity.</p>
<p>Matilda frequently states “it is not right” when she witnesses <a href="https://playbill.com/article/watch-8-full-musical-numbers-from-netflixs-matilda-the-musical">The Trunchbull’s harshness</a>. She inspires those who have lost their spark to raise up and fight for what is right. </p>
<p>Matilda’s leadership results in a revolution and the dismantling of the school, the elimination of The Trunchbull and inauguration of a new leader, the loving teacher Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch). </p>
<h2>Love in education</h2>
<p>The development of Matilda’s unique gifts occurs when she is seen and loved for her authentic self in school.</p>
<p>These social connections are essential for humans. <a href="https://theconversation.com/infancy-and-early-childhood-matter-so-much-because-of-attachment-117733">The power of love, of being seen, heard and understood has immensely positive effects on children</a>. </p>
<p>Their development of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2013/04/21/brene-brown-how-vulnerability-can-make-our-lives-better/?sh=6b7a459b36c7">trust allows them to risk failure and vulnerability</a>, core components to living a healthy and meaningful life. Early experiences <a href="https://horizons.gc.ca/en/2019/11/14/social-epigenetics-how-your-early-life-environment-gets-under-your-skin/">live under our skin</a> for our whole lives. Loving educational experiences are important for children to grow and develop into loving, caring and kind adults.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-larger-classes-teachers-cant-attend-to-childrens-needs-110556">With larger classes, teachers can't attend to children's needs</a>
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<hr>
<p>Miss Honey is the loving and caring educator who advocates for Matilda. She provides Matilda with the opportunity to be seen for her unique self. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A woman seen in a glamourous dress, laughing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513819/original/file-20230306-2221-iar949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513819/original/file-20230306-2221-iar949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513819/original/file-20230306-2221-iar949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513819/original/file-20230306-2221-iar949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513819/original/file-20230306-2221-iar949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513819/original/file-20230306-2221-iar949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513819/original/file-20230306-2221-iar949.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1011&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Lashana Lynch, seen here at a red carpet event in Cannes, France, in 2022, plays Miss Honey.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The figure of Miss Honey demonstrates the extra <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-strategies-to-support-vulnerable-students-when-schools-reopen-after-coronavirus-136201">importance of healthy relationships for children when their homes are not safe</a>. Educators have the opportunity to positively impact children’s lives in many ways. </p>
<p>Love, trust and care was new and unique for Matilda. It felt good and allowed her to confidently develop, to allow her brain to grow. <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/18/08/what%E2%80%99s-love-got-do-it">Care, compassion, kindness and love are essential and often under-valued components in education</a>. </p>
<h2>A present educator</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/lashana-lynch-matilda-miss-honey-interview#">Miss Honey developed trust with Matilda</a> by creating a space of belonging and being safe, secure, present, available and interested. Trust is important for children to learn empathy and compassion, to know it is safe to take risks, to try and fail and try again, to <a href="https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/resilience-game">build resilience and</a> perseverance. </p>
<p>Matilda was vulnerable and took the risk of sharing her authentic self with Miss Honey including what she called “fizzing” — her <a href="https://thecinemaholic.com/what-are-matildas-superpowers-telekinesis-explained/">unique gift of telekinesis</a>, the power to move objects with one’s mind.</p>
<p>Matilda trusted this educator, so it was safe to ask for help, and support in understanding herself. </p>
<p>We all need a Miss Honey, someone we know will be there no matter what, and to offer unconditional love to catch and hold us in our development throughout our lives.</p>
<h2>Valuing love and kindness</h2>
<p>Miss Honey states “<a href="https://www.pressreader.com/uk/features/20221125/281659669049438">I just taught them with kindness, patience and respect</a>.” </p>
<p>Valuing love and kindness means we must value the members of our society who lead with their hearts, learn through play and model behaviour through lived experiences. </p>
<p>Miss Honey represents all the loving and caring educators who give of themselves for children to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2019.1574778">learn and grow through their love, compassion, care and empathy</a> — educators who open up the world for children to be, and to express their beautiful sparkle. As the teacher sings: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eqoyEGx9aI">You were holding my hand … quietly taking a stand…</a>.” </p>
<p>Every child deserves a Miss Honey to experience the importance and power of love and human connection to create a vibrant world of play, exploration, love and kindness. </p>
<p>While the educators modelled in Dahl’s <em>Matilda</em> and developed in the musical are not meant to be <a href="https://www.teachwire.net/news/matildas-miss-honey-teaching-role-model-or-unprofessional-educator">blueprints for contemporary teaching</a>, they suggest the powerful ways educators can have positive effects on children’s lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198660/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nikki Martyn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While educators in Netflix’s ‘Matilda the Musical’ aren’t meant to be blueprints for contemporary teaching, they suggest the powerful ways attentive adults can make a difference in children’s lives.Nikki Martyn, Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2009202023-03-14T19:05:32Z2023-03-14T19:05:32ZDon’t forget play – 3 questions can help balance fun with supports and therapy for autistic children<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514629/original/file-20230310-22-dyb30n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C68%2C5699%2C3733&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/photo/happy-toddler-flying-at-the-park-royalty-free-image/946035370?phrase=autism%20sport&adppopup=true">Getty</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Navigating a maze of <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-examined-the-research-evidence-on-111-autism-early-intervention-approaches-heres-what-we-found-150085">therapies and supports</a> can be difficult for parents of autistic children. </p>
<p>Often, children have multiple learning needs, and attempting to address them one-by-one can take more hours than there are in a week. Attending lots of appointments – while well meaning – may leave little, or no, time for play. </p>
<p>This is why the new <a href="https://www.autismcrc.com.au/access/supporting-children">National Guideline</a> that outlines how practitioners should work with autistic children and their families is important. </p>
<p>Along with vital information on goal setting, selecting therapies, and measuring outcomes, it seeks a balanced approach that also lets kids be kids. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-national-autism-guideline-will-finally-give-families-a-roadmap-for-therapy-decisions-199786">New national autism guideline will finally give families a roadmap for therapy decisions</a>
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<h2>What the guideline says</h2>
<p>The guideline says practitioners working with autistic children should “honour their childhood”, which includes their play, relationships with family and peers, and personal discovery. </p>
<p>This recommendation – like all 84 presented in the guideline – is based on the evidence we synthesised from 49 systematic reviews and consultation with over 1,000 autistic children, young people, and adults; their families; practitioners; and other community members.</p>
<p>The guideline also says practitioners should be child- and family-centred, provide only evidence-based supports, and individualise the type and amount of support for each child and family based on their individual strengths, needs, and circumstances. </p>
<h2>The power of play</h2>
<p>Play is arguably the <a href="https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/early-childhood/early-childhood-health-and-development/power-of-play/#:%7E:text=Play%20builds%20skills%20such%20as,skills%20such%20as%20spatial%20concepts.">most effective</a> way children learn and the benefits are far reaching. </p>
<p>Play helps children develop their <a href="http://oro.open.ac.uk/38679/1/ECIF9The%20Right%20to%20Play.pdf">social, cognitive, and communication skills</a>, such as sharing their interests with others, taking other people’s perspectives, and solving problems. Play is fun, sparks and satisfies children’s curiosity, and helps them build positive relationships. </p>
<p>This is not to say that play – in the traditional sense – always comes easy to autistic children. For example, autistic children often show reduced <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6748042/pdf/nihms-1048010.pdf">symbolic play</a>, such as pretending a doll is picking up a book to read, or that a block moving along a table is a car. </p>
<p>To be <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html">diagnosed</a> as autistic, children need to demonstrate restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities, which can all influence the way they play. A child may have a fascination with numbers or letters, line up toys in a certain order, or show a particular interest in just one part of a toy, rather than the whole. </p>
<p>For this reason, working on play skills has been a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40489-019-00181-y">common goal</a> of therapies and supports. </p>
<p>However, autistic adults are challenging practitioners to think differently and to value each child’s own way of playing. This might include passions and interests that may appear stereotyped or restricted and repetitive to non-autistic people. They argue these interests, movements, and behaviours can help with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6728747/">self-regulation</a> and should be accepted in society, provided they do not cause the individual harm. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-deficits-to-a-spectrum-thinking-around-autism-has-changed-now-there-are-calls-for-a-profound-autism-diagnosis-194049">From deficits to a spectrum, thinking around autism has changed. Now there are calls for a 'profound autism' diagnosis</a>
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<h2>So what can parents do to promote play and find the right balance?</h2>
<p>First, the guideline is clear – supports should be individualised. Too little support – or too much – can be <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(21)00285-6/fulltext">equally problematic</a> for children and families. </p>
<p>Second, it doesn’t need to be a case of play versus supports. Naturalistic play-based therapies and supports have been around for a long time, and are supported by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/13623613221119368?journalCode=auta">research</a>. These include approaches that help parents adapt to their child’s way of playing, making it more fun, rewarding, and engaging for all involved. </p>
<p>Delivering supports in the community can also be effective, such as in <a href="https://playgroupaustralia.org.au/national-programs/playconnect/">playgroups</a> and at <a href="https://plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/autism-friendly-story-time-elearning-program-library-staff">libraries</a>. Inclusive sports, such as <a href="https://www.albatrossnippers.com.au/">nippers</a>, <a href="https://allplay.org.au/">dance, and AFL</a> can help children participate in activities many children and families take for granted.</p>
<p>It is also important parents step back and reflect on what is, and is not, working well for their child and family. </p>
<p>Is their child receiving <em>supports for childhood</em>, or has it become a <em>childhood of supports</em>? </p>
<p>If the goal has drifted towards accessing as much support as possible, rather than using supports to help the child’s engagement and enjoyment in everyday activities such as play, than a re-think is warranted. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="children's hands dig through sand for plastic toys" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514630/original/file-20230310-18-khftp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Play therapy can bring together both worlds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/photo/unrecognizable-children-play-in-sensory-bin-royalty-free-image/969970446?phrase=play%20therapy&adppopup=true">Getty</a></span>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-adhd-be-in-the-ndis-yes-but-eligibility-for-disability-supports-should-depend-on-the-person-not-their-diagnosis-191576">Should ADHD be in the NDIS? Yes, but eligibility for disability supports should depend on the person not their diagnosis</a>
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<h2>What role can clinicians play? 3 questions to ask</h2>
<p>The starting point is listening to children and families when setting goals and discussing supports, and ensuring they stay in control of their own decisions. This includes taking the time to talk through all of their options, and to consider how supports will shape a typical week. </p>
<p>Three questions can help guide this: </p>
<ul>
<li>will there be time to play? </li>
<li>will there be support for play? </li>
<li>can play be the way we provide support?</li>
</ul>
<p>Practitioners such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and educators should also constantly check the supports they are providing are the most helpful for the child and family. Goals may change and new supports may become more effective.</p>
<h2>The ultimate goal</h2>
<p>The guideline states: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Autistic children deserve a childhood full of love, family, fun, learning, and personal discovery. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is the type of childhood all children deserve, and an outcome practitioners should strive for, in recommending and delivering supports to autistic children and their families.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200920/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Trembath currently receives funding from the Autism CRC, and his position is co-funded by Griffith University and CliniKids, Telethon Kids Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Whitehouse also holds the position of Research Strategy Director with the Autism CRC. Andrew Whitehouse receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Autism CRC, and the Angela Wright Bennett Foundation. The National Guideline discussed in this article was authored by David Trembath, Andrew Whitehouse, Kandice Varcin, Hannah Waddington, Rhylee Sulek, Sarah Pillar, Gary Allen, Katharine Annear, Valsamma Eapen, Jessica Feary, Emma Goodall, Teresa Pilbeam, Felicity Rose, Nancy Sadka and Natalie Silove.</span></em></p>The new national autism guideline says that we should remember to honour childhood. Sometimes that can get lost amid a weekly schedule of therapy sessions.David Trembath, Associate Professor, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith UniversityAndrew Whitehouse, Bennett Chair of Autism, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2010182023-03-03T14:40:49Z2023-03-03T14:40:49ZNational Theatre’s Phaedra review: suicide tragedy leaves a bad taste<p>Suicide is an act so shocking and violent that it undoes not only sensation, memory and feeling, but meaning. Poet and novelist Ocean Vuong describes how it unpicks even the connective tissue of <a href="https://therumpus.net/2022/12/20/the-weight-of-our-living-on-hope-fire-escapes-and-visible-desperation/">language</a>. </p>
<p>The death of my best friend by suicide last summer completely undid me. The experience has changed the way I experience the world, my relationship to myself, friends, loved ones, but it has also changed my relationship to my work. It has forced me to think differently about suicide’s frequent appearances in what we know of ancient Greek and Roman tragedies.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for the National Theatre’s Phaedra.</span></figcaption>
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<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG8eD6UKRTM">Phaedra</a> is one such suicide tragedy. Director Simon Stone is at the helm of a new adaptation for the National Theatre, having previously directed <a href="https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/Yerma-NT-at-home">Yerma</a> (2016) with Billie Piper, at the Young Vic and then <a href="https://tga.nl/en/productions/medea">Medea</a> (2014), which came to London’s <a href="https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/internationaal-theater-amsterdam-medea">Barbican</a> in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/mar/07/medea-review-barbican-london-simon-stone">2019</a>. In both previous productions, Stone has the female lead take her own life at the end of the performance and his Phaedra is no different.</p>
<p>Stone is working from multiple sources: Hippolytus by the ancient Greek tragedian Euripides, Phaedra by the Roman poet Seneca, Phèdre by the 17th century French dramatist Jean-Baptiste Racine and Phaedra’s Love (1996) by British playwright Sarah Kane.</p>
<p>As classics professor <a href="http://edithhall.co.uk/">Edith Hall</a> explains in the National Theatre’s programme, each version portrays Phaedra’s suicide differently in her plot to love and then discredit her stepson Hippolytus by falsely accusing him of rape following his rejection. A second death occurs when Hippolytus’ father kills him, for what he believes Hippolytus has done to his wife.</p>
<p>In all these versions – but especially Kane’s – suicide is an avoidable but seemingly inevitable horror. It is a corrosive agent for the drama, that leaves the characters on their knees, making sounds <a href="https://therumpus.net/2022/12/20/the-weight-of-our-living-on-hope-fire-escapes-and-visible-desperation/">“like an animal that just learned the word for God”</a>.</p>
<h2>Stone’s production of Phaedra</h2>
<p>The National Theatre’s Phaedra is quick witted, acerbic and does some <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/feb/10/phaedra-review-janet-mcteer-simon-stone-national-theatre-lyttelton">light decolonial thinking</a>, but it cannot fathom the ways in which suicide undoes people and their relationships to one another.</p>
<p>Stone changes much of the Phaedra story. Phaedra’s part is distributed among a couple of characters. Firstly, Helen (Janet McTeer), a shadow environment minister who, while studying at Oxford, went abroad to Morocco. There she fell in love with a man and took him away from his family so that he could drink, consume drugs and dream of being a rock star.</p>
<p>Hippolytus is no longer Phaedra’s stepson but Helen’s lover’s son, Sofiane (Assaad Bouab). Sofiane looks just like his father, who died tragically in a car wreck. We hear his voice recordings to his son which play in the long blackouts between scenes, variously morose, loving, macabre and suicidal.</p>
<p>Helen is complicit in this infidelity and her former lover’s eventual death. The play blames her almost entirely, with a long, hateful monologue delivered in French by Sofiane’s wife Reba (Sirine Saba) and translated live into English by Helen’s diplomat husband Hugo (Paul Chahidi) in the final scene.</p>
<p>The part of Phaedra is also shared with Helen’s daughter, Isolde (Mackenzie Davis) – a millennial who would be a good fit in <a href="https://theconversation.com/artworks-are-more-than-just-plot-clues-in-the-white-lotus-season-2-they-are-the-shows-silent-witnesses-196374">White Lotus</a>. Isolde is wracked by white guilt and very upper- middle- class privilege consciousness. Her marriage and NGO are failing. She shares Phaedra’s desire to be <a href="https://www.theoi.com/Text/SenecaPhaedra.html">out in the wilderness</a>, have scraped knees and hoist a bow over her shoulders.</p>
<p>Both Helen and Isolde sleep with Sofiane, producing much of the play’s farcical energy. The scene in a London restaurant that opens the second act is excellent – the audience gasped, feared, pitied and wondered at every revelation, expertly delivered by the ensemble. But it is Helen alone who shares Phaedra’s death.</p>
<p>Excruciatingly, she takes her own life on stage, creating the final image of the play. Sofiane disappears into a heavenly white haze, while Helen sinks into the ground alone, traces of her blood and sweat staining the “glass” box in which the production unfolds.</p>
<p>In Euripides and Seneca’s versions, Phaedra is undone by a god. But Stone’s Helen is a villain driven mad by the guilt of her own actions. “At least”, a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/janet-mcteer-interview-realised-quickly-never-going-pretty-one/">Telegraph interviewer</a> reports McTeer saying, “Phaedra has the ‘redeeming’ grace to kill herself.”</p>
<p>Instead of implicating us in Helen’s choices and their aftermath, Stone asks us to project our shame onto this “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/jan/21/director-simon-stone-my-heroes-are-women-phaedra-janet-mcteer-national-theatre-billie-piper-yerma">post-menopausal woman</a>” and make her the scapegoat. </p>
<p>I marvelled at the set design and excellent performances. And I enjoyed the skill of the lighting, costume and sound designers, the work of the intimacy director, the speed and determination of the stage managers and backstage team. In minutes, they turned an upscale London living room into a Suffolk field. </p>
<p>However, I found the choice to stage Helen’s suicide as a redeeming act – and the invitation to cheer in the curtain call, just seconds after her death – dreadfully misplaced.</p>
<p>Instead of railing against Helen, I’d like to see a version of Phaedra where the desires of a postmenopausal woman aren’t played for shock and laughs. One that looks at why suicides like this take place and advocates for a world where mental health services are funded and people don’t die in their <a href="https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/research-policy/suicide-facts-and-figures/latest-suicide-data/">thousands</a>. </p>
<p><em>Phaedra is on now at the The National Theatre, London, until April 8.</em></p>
<hr>
<p><em>If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, the following services can provide you with support:</em></p>
<p><em>In the UK and Ireland – call Samaritans UK at 116 123.</em></p>
<p><em>In the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or IMAlive at 1-800-784-2433.</em></p>
<p><em>In Australia – call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14.</em></p>
<p><em>In other countries – visit IASP or Suicide.org to find a helpline in your country.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201018/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marcus Bell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An expert in Greek tragedy can’t get past a seemingly callous approach to suicide in the National Theatre’s new take on Phaedra.Marcus Bell, PhD candidate, Classical Languages and Literature, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1991762023-03-02T01:18:35Z2023-03-02T01:18:35ZCurious Kids: why don’t grown-ups play like kids?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510259/original/file-20230215-20-2vqjip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C23%2C5145%2C3414&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/m9WnjsR8lfo">Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Why don’t grown ups play like us kids do? Annie, aged 7, Canberra</em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291898/original/file-20190911-190031-enlxbk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=90&fit=crop&dpr=1" width="100%"></a></p>
<p>Hi Annie, this is such a clever question. </p>
<p>What led you to ask this? Did you notice this at a playground, where kids seem to do all the playing – the climbing, swinging and sliding, while grown-ups just hang around, pushing swings or texting on their phones? </p>
<p>In fact most grown-ups don’t play in playgrounds, which is weird because playgrounds are so much fun. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-people-get-old-190142">Curious Kids: why do people get old?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Play is so important, but why?</h2>
<p>Most kids are experts at play. This is because play is one of the best ways to learn about yourself and the world around you.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00222216.1990.11969821?src=recsys">Play</a> helps you move better, think better, imagine, solve problems and play with others.</p>
<p>This leads back to your great question. If play is so good for us and so fun, why don’t grown-ups play like kids? </p>
<p>There are lots of answers, but I will share two of the big ones.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-if-our-bodies-are-happy-at-37-why-do-we-feel-so-unhappy-when-its-too-hot-outside-159134">Curious Kids: if our bodies are happy at 37℃, why do we feel so unhappy when it's too hot outside?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Grown-ups have a lot to take care of</h2>
<p>First, grown-ups have to pay for lots of things, like food, transport and somewhere to live. This means they have to go to work to earn money. And if they have kids, they have to look after them. </p>
<p>So grown-up life can be stressful and busy. And one thing about play is they have to <a href="https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/play-and-social-skills/play-skills/"><em>feel like</em></a> playing to have fun. If grown-ups are tired or have too much serious stuff on their minds, it makes it hard to feel like playing. </p>
<p>Yet, grown-ups need to play too, and for many of the same <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/benefits-of-play-for-adults.htm">reasons</a> as kids. But grown-ups also need to play to let go of stress and worry. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-tears-come-out-of-our-eyes-when-we-cry-84361">Curious Kids: Why do tears come out of our eyes when we cry?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Grown-ups play too</h2>
<p>So – and this is the second answer to your awesome question – adults have found grown-up ways to play. This gets them moving, thinking and problem solving, while also hanging out with others. </p>
<p>Once they can no longer squeeze onto the slide or swing at the park, grown-ups may take up a hobby like sewing or skydiving. They might also like playing games with friends, like sport or board games. They can even play with their friends online with a computer or phone.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three adults laughing and smiling at the camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510466/original/file-20230216-28-25drnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adults find ways to play too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amusement-leisure-funny-happiness-enjoyment-concept-490208686">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In fact, grown-ups like playing so much they have <a href="https://trustedtravel.org.au/travel-news/get-dressed-up-at-these-5-amazing-events-in-and-around-sydney/">games and parties</a> where they dress up and play with lots of other grown-ups. Older grown-ups also have their own <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2016/apr/29/playgrounds-elderly-seniors-in-pictures">playgrounds</a>.</p>
<p>So the answer to your question is adults don’t always play like kids do because they can be busy and have lots of other things to do. But they do actually play, even if that’s sometimes in a different way.</p>
<p>Keep playing and being curious Annie.</p>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199176/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathy Hope has received research funding from government and industry to identify community aspirations for play and playful spaces, and to design and deliver playful activations in public spaces.</span></em></p>Play is so important for kids, but what about adults? Why don’t you usually see mum or dad swinging on the monkey bars at a playground?Cathy Hope, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts and Design; Coordinator, Play, Creativity and Wellbeing Project, Centre for Creative and Cultural Research, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2001152023-02-20T15:16:17Z2023-02-20T15:16:17ZMuch Ado About Nothing: National Youth Theatre gives Shakespeare the Love Island treatment<p>“<a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/56469/1/love-relationships-type-on-paper-dead-love-island-ekin-su">What’s your type on paper?</a>” is frequently asked by contestants on the popular reality dating show <a href="https://theconversation.com/love-island-what-the-show-can-teach-young-people-about-commitment-185459">Love Island</a>. “Rich, that’s certaine” responds Benedick, a contestant on “Nothing Island”, who appears to know exactly what he likes. “Wise, or I’ll none”, “virtuous”, “fair”, “mild” – though he concedes he is not fussed about hair colour.</p>
<p>In this <a href="https://www.nyt.org.uk/MuchAdo">National Youth Theatre production</a> celebrating their tenth anniversary, poet and playwright Debris Stevenson (<a href="https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/poetindacorner/">Poet in Da Corner</a>) adapts Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing as the final segment of reality TV show “Nothing Island”. “If it ain’t love,” executive producer Leonato (Jessica Enemokwu) says: “it’s Nothing”.</p>
<p>Stevenson’s production is sprinkled with quotations from other Shakespeare plays. “To thine own self be true,” cautions on-set therapist Dr Dogberry (a brilliant new lease of life for Shakespeare’s nightwatch policeman). “To sleep perchance to dream,” says the executive producer as the islanders turn in the night before the finale. </p>
<p>However, King Lear’s caution: “Nothing comes from nothing” might be the overriding concern, as this production sets Shakespeare’s coupling and uncoupling within the nihilistic and superficial world of reality TV.</p>
<p>The concept, however, is an effective springboard. As Stevenson and director Josie Daxter explain: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We were forced to lean into the shared, uncomfortable realities of the play [patriarchy, misogyny, racism] and the TV show [superficiality, racism, heteronormativity] in order to expose and critique them. The lens made us braver.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Through innovative approaches, theatre productions can make the historical values of Shakespeare’s plays <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Political_Shakespeare.html?id=K2UgAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y">both understandable and relevant</a> to modern audiences. This is exactly what has been achieved here.</p>
<h2>Staging reality</h2>
<p>The TV production set frames all the play’s action, in a coherent, if claustrophobic, 90-minute run time. What audiences see of the play, they also simultaneously see being manipulated by a production team for an off-stage TV audience, whose torrent of caustic, sentimental and superficial social media interjections appear on screens above the action.</p>
<p>The rationale for the villainy in Shakespeare’s original plot has shifted. Don John is still the disaffected and illegitimate sibling – now sister – of Don Pedro (both decried as “nepo babies”). However, in this adaptation, she is more puppet than puppeteer.</p>
<p>Conrad (played brilliantly by Tomas Azócar-Nevin) is now the arch manipulator as an ambitious “story producer”. With an eye over all the action, Conrad seeds rumours that bloom into reality TV gold. He whispers in people’s ears (headsets) providing prompts and cues. </p>
<p>At the height of one character’s public humiliation, when they are jilted at the altar and presumed dead, he says: “Oh! I think we are going to win a Bafta.”</p>
<p>The reality show elements of the diary room (soliloquies), staged competitions (Benedick and Beatrice’s first encounter is a girls v boys “rap battle”) and parties (the masked ball), map uncannily well onto the plot devices and structure of Shakespeare’s comedy.</p>
<p>Will surprise couple Beatrice and Benedick win this year, or will it be Hero, back from the brink of death, and her lover/abuser Claudio (Jez Davess-Humphrey)? The executive producer, herself a black woman, articulates her cynical certainty that TV audiences will never vote for someone who looks like her.</p>
<p>There are also some tensions or distortions produced by this amalgamation. That Beatrice still requires Benedick, a man, to “kill Claudio”, is <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/shakespeare/6048">a hangover of Shakespeare’s patriarchal society</a> that feels out of kilter with the equality of the 50/50 gender split cast and female-led creative team.</p>
<p>Stevenson’s language is predominantly true to Shakespeare’s original play, with some deft interpolations and witty disjunctures: “I must cancel your company”, declares Benedick to Don Pedro. </p>
<p>However, the decision to keep other bits of original text (“he is as civil as an orange”, says Beatrice of the jealous Claudio, a pun on the sour imported Seville oranges of the 17th century, played here as a piece of nonsense), is unnecessary.</p>
<p>In other instances, Shakespeare’s verse is shown to excellent effect as rap and spoken word, though some of the play’s chipper couplets (“If it proves so, then loving goes by haps/ Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps”) could have been made more of.</p>
<p>Overall, this youth adaptation speaks with wit to a generation saturated in reality television and social media versions of love, who have missed out on real social contact during the COVID pandemic. The cynicism of the exposed reality TV strategies is counterbalanced by the warmth and joy of an assembled audience who laugh, gasp and click their fingers at this fast-paced and witty production.</p>
<p>If you want to know what love is, this adaptation suggests: switch off the reality TV and turn to Shakespeare instead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200115/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Penelope Woods has previously received funding from The Arts Council and The Arts and Humanities Research Council.
She is a member of the Labour Party.</span></em></p>Shakespeare’s Conrad is now an ambitious ‘story producer’. With an eye over all the ‘Nothing Island’ action, he seeds rumours that bloom into reality TV gold.Penelope Woods, Lecturer, Department of Literature Film and Theatre Studies, University of EssexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1932182022-11-09T02:42:23Z2022-11-09T02:42:23ZThis new ‘risky’ playground is a work of art – and a place for kids to escape their mollycoddling parents<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493846/original/file-20221107-15-hw0mzq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C4019%2C3017&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hewson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine this: a heap of colourful plastic buckets stacked on top of each other to form a climbable bridge, monolithic bluestone boulders holding up a contorted slide, a pile of concrete demolition debris moonlighting as a resting spot. </p>
<p>At every point, children can be seen swinging their bodies from warped, dented monkey bars and balancing along rope-webs strung between stones.</p>
<p>Would you let your kids come here and play? </p>
<p>This new playground in Melbourne’s Southbank is the work of artist Mike Hewson. The project can be confusing for the public. Is it a playground? A sculpture? Or an unfinished piece of infrastructure?</p>
<p>Hewson’s playable public art parks in Sydney and Melbourne are known to be “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-07/risk-play-playground-city-of-melbourne-not-dangerous-safe/101622592">risky</a>” – but risk means different things to different people. And it’s exactly the risks his art takes that makes it so valuable.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1589357985792667648"}"></div></p>
<h2>The risk of no risk</h2>
<p>Urban play has long been synonymous with the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/32893804_The_Ludic_city_Exploring_the_potential_of_public_spaces">cultural life of art and the city</a>. In the decades of Europe’s baby boom, new playground concepts emerged with a focus on “free play” (distinct from earlier playgrounds resembling <a href="https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/dangerous-playgrounds-1900s/">open-air gymnasiums</a>), as one of children’s fundamental needs.</p>
<p>“Tufsen”, Egon Möller-Nielsen’s unusual sculpture was the first unscripted <a href="https://digitaltmuseum.se/011015020013/konstnaren-egon-moller-nielsens-lekskulptur-tuffsen-med-barn">free play sculpture</a> of its kind, created in 1949, bringing together abstract art and play in a public space. </p>
<p>This new approach generated a boom in playground sculptures.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Kids play on a concrete sculpture." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494286/original/file-20221108-24-gaqspe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Egon Möller-Nielsen’s Tufsen in Stockholm was the first free-play sculpture.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sune Sundahl</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the early 1980s, we saw a significant shift in response to questions of risk, hazards and children’s safety, which resulted in <a href="https://celos.ca/wiki/uploads/CityParks/PlaygroundSafetyWhitePaper-Kids-n-Safe-Play-CJD.pdf">fears and threats of litigation</a>. </p>
<p>As play-safety standards were introduced in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, <a href="https://www.transfer-arch.com/playground-project/">innovation</a> in the arena of a playable public realm slowed. As soon as the standards began to be referenced in liability cases, playspace designers began to follow them. </p>
<p>Designs outside the specifications were avoided and playgrounds were standardised into the <a href="https://www.vox.com/videos/2019/2/21/18229434/risky-playground-design">“boring” versions</a> that still dominate most of our play spaces, where the potential movement of children is scripted: up, across and down.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="This playground seems to be balancing on boulders." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493830/original/file-20221107-17-9gc6d8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The new playground at Melbourne’s Southbank doesn’t look like the playgrounds of your childhood.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hewson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the past 30 years, interpretations of <a href="https://www.standards.org.au/news/new-australian-standard-for-playground-safety">these safety standards</a> continue to regularly confuse the meanings of “risk” and “hazard”.
A risk is something the child is aware of, forcing them to identify, analyse and overcome the challenge; a hazard puts one in danger because a condition for injury exists the user cannot perceive.</p>
<p>Conflating these meanings has resulted in a cultural attitude toward play that is <a href="https://www.academia.edu/1479806/Risk_deficit_disorder">highly risk-averse</a>. </p>
<p>This risk-aversion is in contrast to the mounting research on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499858/">benefits of risk</a> for children. </p>
<p>Risk-aversion can have <a href="https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:50781/">long-term health implications</a> on adolescence and into adulthood, potentially impacting the development of anxiety, depression, obesity and diabetes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="This playground seems to be built of plastic buckets." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493834/original/file-20221107-25-tyv924.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hewson is also behind Pockets Park in Leichhardt, Sydney.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hewson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In fact, researchers Jonathan Haidt and Pamela Paresky <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/10/by-mollycoddling-our-children-were-fuelling-mental-illness-in-teenagers">suggest</a> contemporary society “mollycoddles” children. The risk-of-no-risk is a question of resilience – not only physical but also, perhaps more importantly, <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience">psychological resilience</a>. </p>
<p>Psychological resilience is the capacity for adaptation in the face of tragedy, trauma, adversity, threats or significant stress. Put simply, resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from challenging experiences. </p>
<p>Based on this premise, Hewson’s “risky” sculptural play environments can bolster, fortify and increase psychological resilience among children. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A kid climbs on a brick wall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493835/original/file-20221107-25-71diu3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">These playgrounds can bolster psychological resilience.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hewson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In contrast to the conventional playground where movement is predetermined, Hewson’s projects offer children the opportunity to explore unfamiliar, unscripted, innovative and playable sculptural worlds. </p>
<p>When given the chance, even very young children <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.25.2.0301">show clear abilities</a> to negotiate unfamiliar spaces, manage risks and determine their own limitations.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/giant-tube-slides-and-broken-legs-why-the-latest-playground-craze-is-a-serious-hazard-181073">Giant tube slides and broken legs: why the latest playground craze is a serious hazard</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Playable sculpture</h2>
<p>Hewson’s sculptural playgrounds don’t just offer the opportunity for children to take risks. Their very construction appears to be risky: all playable parts appear to be improvised, cobbled together with cardboard and chicken wire, balanced just-so or teetering on the verge of collapse.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A girl climbs in a cage on a boulder." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494310/original/file-20221109-9155-zrdnlv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hewson’s sculptures seem like they’re teetering on the verge of collapse.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hewson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And yet nothing is quite as it appears. With Hewson’s background in engineering, each playable element has been meticulously designed, structurally engineered and thoughtfully integrated into the urban realm. </p>
<p>This illusion of danger gives the works a sense of the uncanny, appealing to art-lovers and children alike. </p>
<p>In the art world, Hewson’s works are <a href="https://www.artlink.com.au/articles/4930/unfettered-actions-sportification-playgrounds-and-/">important</a> for their bold and cheeky irreverence of the traditions of public art. </p>
<p>By making these sculptures playable – and seemingly defective – they tip the hierarchy of “art” upside down. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A kid swings on warped monkey bars." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493841/original/file-20221107-3517-uc8m3a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This might look broken – but it’s highly engineered.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hewson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Australia has a long-standing reputation of presenting “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/public-art-and-social-history-is-the-monument-dead-20141211-122bzf.html">plonk art</a>” in public spaces. Plonk art is a pejorative slang term for the large Modernist artworks intended for government plazas, corporate atriums and open parks designed to be looked at but not touched. </p>
<p>Hewson takes sculpture off its pedestal and integrates it directly into the public domain, while also engaging local communities in the creative development stages of his projects. </p>
<p>For this experimentation, he receives some <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/trying-to-push-the-conversation-the-inner-west-playground-dividing-parents-20220211-p59vm8.html">backlash</a> from certain sections of the community – but his convictions keep him pushing forward.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Hewson's packed playground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493826/original/file-20221107-25-7m89vo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We need to give kids space to take risks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hewson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>His works advance the role of public art in creating a more culturally rich, intergenerational public domain while also challenging conventions of the ubiquitous de-risked playground.</p>
<p>So what do you think? Is it time we integrate more playable art opportunities into the public realm?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bringing-art-into-public-spaces-can-improve-the-social-fabric-of-a-city-162991">Bringing art into public spaces can improve the social fabric of a city</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193218/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sanné Mestrom receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>The new playground in Melbourne’s Southbank is the work of artist Mike Hewson – and it’s exactly the ‘risk’ it proposes that makes it so valuable.Sanné Mestrom, Senior Lecturer, DECRA Fellow, Sydney College of the Arts, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1812292022-05-30T20:21:54Z2022-05-30T20:21:54ZWhy stress-related illness is so hard to diagnose, and how a patient-centred playful approach can help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466093/original/file-20220530-14-e9ztvz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=147%2C0%2C3636%2C2121&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Because of stigma and deeply rooted implicit bias, people who suffer chronic and unexplained pains are often characterized as complainers, malingerers and drug-seekers. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For at least three decades, researchers have gathered evidence that chronic stress puts pressure on the body to constantly adjust itself to restore physiological stability. This process is known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/allostatic-load">allostatic load</a> and it creates a cascade of toxic metabolic activities that cause wear and tear on the body. </p>
<p>Allostatic load makes people vulnerable to various types of cardiac, gastrointestinal, endocrinological, immunological, neurological, metabolic and psychiatric problems. </p>
<p>Evidence is emerging to show that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1159/000510696">psychosocial and economic stressors influence health outcomes</a>. But neither our physicians, nor our health-care systems, have the necessary tools and methods to integrate those social and economic factors into our diagnoses or preventive care. </p>
<p>Here is a personal example: Recently, I called my physician to report mysterious new pains. The thorough investigation and note-taking that followed would have been very useful if I had suffered a specific infection or injury, or if my blood work was imperfect. But I had symptoms that began slowly and were increasing in frequency with COVID- and work-related stresses. </p>
<p>The more she pressed for identifying how, where and when exactly my pains had begun, the more I felt guilty about my imprecise condition. When I joked that I just needed a month to hang out with Freud in the Alps, she suggested prescribing antidepressants. Falling back to self-blaming humour: “Maybe this is all psychosomatic,” I said. </p>
<h2>Stigma of unexplained pains</h2>
<p>Far too many people have these experiences. The stigma and implicit biases against those who suffer chronic and unexplained pains (as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.109-5553">complainers, malingerers and drug-seekers</a>) are <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2016-011133">deeply rooted</a>. They are <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/doing-harm-maya-dusenbery?variant=32208022110242">gendered</a>. They are <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jpain.2010.12.002">racial</a>, too. </p>
<p>While it is known that stress and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F00333549141291S206">social and economic disparities make people sick</a>, physicians do not have the necessary tools to fix those causes of illness. At best, next to medications, they can offer psychotherapy, which <a href="https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20190094">remains inaccessible</a> and unaffordable to most. Our health-care system is also unequipped to address the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1363461514557202">psychosocial determinants of health, which are situational and cultural</a>, so they require more than a clinical approach to care.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100563">research on prescription of pain killers for racial and ethnic minorities</a> shows that Black patients’ pain is undertreated. This reflects a lack of trust in the symptoms reported by those who may already be suffering other forms of socio-economic disparity. The 2020 death of Joyce Echaquan, enduring abuse and untreated pain in a Québec hospital, made it <a href="https://principedejoyce.com/sn_uploads/principe/Joyce_s_Principle_brief___Eng.pdf">impossible to ignore the problem of health inequity any longer</a>. </p>
<h2>How combative approaches create stigma</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black and white images of a woman with a red patch of pain in various locations" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466092/original/file-20220530-14-hrq6uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466092/original/file-20220530-14-hrq6uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=233&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466092/original/file-20220530-14-hrq6uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=233&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466092/original/file-20220530-14-hrq6uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=233&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466092/original/file-20220530-14-hrq6uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466092/original/file-20220530-14-hrq6uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466092/original/file-20220530-14-hrq6uo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nearly 20 per cent of Canadians suffer chronic pain. For health-care providers, pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is and exists whenever the experiencing person says it does.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since at least the publication of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/09677720221079826">first epidemiological study in 1662</a>, we have been trying to predict and minimize causes of mortality. Science and technology are expected to help us win the battle against disease and disability. There is a particular <a href="https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S246658">structural worldview that shapes our current medical culture</a>. It takes a combative approach to illness: it <em>fights</em> cancer, opioid epidemics, depression, diabetes and other conditions. </p>
<p>Implicitly, combative cultures value and reward winners. When we praise heroes (for example, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/features/how-to-live-to-100-life-advice-from-centenarians">100-year-old people who enjoy active lives</a>), we implicitly turn those who fail to losers. This is how patients and their caregivers <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/arthur-kleinman/the-illness-narratives/9781541647121/">co-create stigma and shame associated with chronic illness</a> or even <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo3625122.html">aging</a>. </p>
<p>Fortunately, a shift has begun towards <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00301-6">epistemic justice</a>, which recognizes culturally appropriate practices and traditional knowledge, and <a href="http://DOI.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39724-5_14">patient-centred</a> health-care practices are emerging. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01475-6">Indigenous leadership in de-colonizing health care</a> will accelerate these efforts. For the health-care system to begin acting on those principles, a <a href="http://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2022.857624">shift towards more flexible, qualitative and ecological research methodologies is needed</a>. </p>
<h2>Why play matters</h2>
<p>In 1509, the Renaissance scholar Erasmus wrote <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30201/30201-h/30201-h.htm"><em>In Praise of Folly</em></a> to argue that play is an existential necessity that helps humans confront the inevitability of aging and death by becoming forgetful and carefree (like children). </p>
<p>Different forms of play are offered by <a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/9781119140467">therapists</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1179/0969926013Z.00000000073">hospices</a> to facilitate communication over difficult or terminal health conditions.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3620295.html"><em>Steps To an Ecology of Mind</em></a> (1971), anthropologist Gregory Bateson offered play as an experimental space for communication and learning <em>from learning</em> where people can simulate, interpret and evaluate the outcomes of their choices in a framed, but flexible, playground. </p>
<p>Indeed, play is a well-known research tool in <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/play-dreams-and-imitation-in-childhood/oclc/1156242941?loc=">developmental psychology</a>, <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674005815">anthropology</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203167403">economics</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/7995.001.0001">military strategies</a>.</p>
<p>In the context of a <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/sites/pals/files/jama_insel_2017_vp_170119.pdf">global drive for digital tracking and profiling of potential causes of illness</a>, my research colleagues and I have recently suggested <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.746477">that <em>play</em> offers an alternative way</a> of approaching research and taking action in this digital ecosystem. </p>
<h2>Prescribing play</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person in a white coat with a stethoscope around their neck holding a rolled-up green yoga mat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466116/original/file-20220530-18-pgcx65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466116/original/file-20220530-18-pgcx65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466116/original/file-20220530-18-pgcx65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466116/original/file-20220530-18-pgcx65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466116/original/file-20220530-18-pgcx65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466116/original/file-20220530-18-pgcx65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466116/original/file-20220530-18-pgcx65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Imagine if the frame of caring for me was a bit more flexible to allow my doctor to prescribe a yoga regime, or help me [explore a mindfulness program.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/canadian-pain-task-force/report-2021.html">Twenty per cent of people</a> suffer from chronic pain. What do we do when we cannot “win” the battle against pain? Often, drug prescriptions offer the cheapest and fastest-acting remedies. But they don’t always work and the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html">side-effects can be disastrous</a>. This is why consensus is growing <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/traditional-complementary-and-integrative-medicine#tab=tab_2">among the World Health Organization members to invest in researching alternative ways of care</a>.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/203913/homo-ludens-by-johan-huizinga/"><em>Homoludens</em></a> (1938), historian Johan Huizinga showed that play is a uniquely human tendency to create imaginative aesthetics and rituals that give different meanings to the acts of satisfying biological needs such as shelter, food and safety. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2022.895443">Indeed, play can become a creative and knowledge-generating act</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105%2FAJPH.2008.156497">Creative art therapy or expressive writings</a> can help track and control what causes pain. </p>
<p>Imagine if instead of pushing me to provide precise numbers for the intensity and frequency of my pain, I were allowed to <a href="https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/1998/07000/Culture_and_Somatization__Clinical,.6.aspx">use metaphor</a> and be playful about explaining my symptoms and needs to my physician.</p>
<p>Imagine if the frame of caring for me was a bit more flexible to allow my doctor to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2156587217715927">prescribe a yoga regime</a>, or help me <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9844-2">explore a mindfulness program</a>.</p>
<p>Imagine if clinicians incorporated Indigenous ways of knowing to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2022.857624">LISTEN to pain (language, individual, share, teachable moments, engage and navigate)</a>.</p>
<p>Imagine if public health officials did not wait until chronic stress made the population prone to illness, and instead invested in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24719525">happiness policies like those in the Netherlands, the country of Erasmus and Huizinga</a>.</p>
<h2>Turning play to action</h2>
<p>When knowledge and care are lacking (<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2022.889990">for example, for women with endometrosis</a>), social media becomes a space for knowledge generation. <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/coping-illness-digitally">In <em>Coping with Illness Digitally</em></a>, health and digital communications researcher Stephan Rains illustrates that people connect to communities that offer information and care through shared experiences. </p>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the capacity of social media for <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/20550">generating data</a> about coping with stress. However, if we are to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0361-3682(91)90019-B">governed by numbers</a>, we need a playground where we <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-covid-19-pandemic-pushed-social-media-to-become-increasingly-tribal-178775">are safe and not passively surveyed</a>. In a real playground, participants are not under surveillance, but are engaged in generating knowledge about psychosocial stressors that make them ill. Platforms such as <a href="https://www.patientslikeme.com">Patients Like Me</a> provide a blueprint for adding our narratives of stress-generated illnesses and coping strategies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181229/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Najmeh Khalili-Mahani has received funding from FRQSC.</span></em></p>Psychosocial and economic stressors can affect health, but neither our doctors nor our health-care system have the tools to integrate these factors into diagnoses or care. Play offers an alternative.Najmeh Khalili-Mahani, Researcher, Director of Media-Health/Game-Clinic laboratory, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.