Not Elkind's Best
Elkind, as always, makes a good case for slowing things down for kids. As a Montessori and Waldorf parent, it's always nice to read ideas in support of trusting a more organic approach to my children's development. However, I didn't feel this book had near the power of Elkind's earlier work, The Hurried Child. The book reads more like a pop psychology text. I was put off by the reiteration of his ideas regarding early childhood and left wanting more support of his theories. I also was hoping the Power of Play would suggest some examples of play and elaborations on "what comes naturally" to young children.
Good start..textbook finish
I couldn't agree more with Elkind that play is important. As a parent myself I hear others concerned that their children aren't getting enough "education," even at tiny toddler ages. Many parents get stressed and competative over academic issues before their children are even school age. And, if you are a parent who does not enroll your children in this and that, you are looked at as neglectful...or unconcerned about your children's futures. A current concern I have is the push for all day kindergarten (not mentioned in this book) but I fear it will overtake our half day programs here in MN in just a few years. While these programs may benefit some children, they are certainly not beneficial to all, and I'd even argue they are not beneficial to the majority of children.
The problem I had with Elkind's book is not the message, but rather the delivery of the message. While the first 4 chapters were enjoyble, the rest of the book reminded me of a college textbook. I didn't really enjoy reading it and most of it was repetative as I went to college for el. ed. and took several ed. psych. courses. Now, if you have not heard all these things before, you may be more interested in this book. Personally, as a parent, I found John Rosemond's A Family of Value (read chapters on toys) to be a much more interesting in presentation. Be prepared, however, with Rosemond because he is much more strongly opposed to screen time than Elkind appears to be. Regardless, both books relay a valuable message.
Interesting book....
I enjoyed this book very much and found it refreshing compared to a lot of the alternatives on the shelves...but, if you are an outdoorsy, no TV, stay at home and look after your child, play, kind of person, I didn't gain a lot from it!
Not the book this important topic deserves
I firmly believe in the importance of free play. Essentially, I was looking for a book that would reinforce that belief. Instead, I found myself annoyed by the poor reasoning this book employs. In brief, the author seems to argue that things are different from the way he played as a boy and, therefore, they are worse. Different=worse is not a logical or valid argument.
For example, choosing teams the way they did when he was a boy and was always the last boy chosen made him feel ostracized. But it also prepared him for the real world. Electronic games deprive children of this sense of ostracization. Hmmm... I'm no fan of computer games for young children, but at this point in the book I'm feeling an urge to go out and buy some software for my little ones!
Aaahhh, the good old days when children were allowed to build campfires without supervision! So what if they got burned occasionally? It taught them to handle risk! The idea that there might be other forms of play that teach risk in a more constructive way is not addressed, and I wish it had been.
His argument is needlessly complicated. For example, he discusses the idea of hot and cool media, which is a powerful theoretical construct and which could have been very helpful in this book. (Hot media encourages passivity; cool media engages the child's thought and emotions). But his supporting examples entirely miss the mark. For example, he discusses a study which compared children who watched hot media (e.g., action shows) with those who watched cool media (i.e., educational shows) and found that those who watched hot media were less educationally gifted later on. Therefore, hot media is bad, and cool media is good. Ummmm... Did it never occur to him that maybe the children's educational achievements were related to the educational content they viewed and might have had nothing to do with the warmth of the media? That seems a far simpler and more parsimonious interpretation.
I expected a better quality of reasoning and more depth in this book. The only reason I'm not giving it one star is that it doesn't seem to be actively injurious. Unless, of course, some parent is swayed to let the children build a bonfire unsupervised after reading it...
Possibilities of Play
Elkind is my kind of guy. In this book he talks about balance, balance, balance. His book addresses play in children infancy thru the elementary years, for the most part. He talks about what play does exactly for children's intellect, social skills and imagination. I would suggest this book to parents of kids ages 0-7. Educators and the late elemantary set will get something from this book, but not as much as folks parenting and working with younger children.
What I have enjoyed so much about this book is that he is not extreme in his ideas. He endorses tv and video games mildly, and then leads parents into selecting the right kind of show or game. He talks about the pros and cons of these entertainment modes.
He talks about the balance of planned sports/activities, and free, individually motivated play. He offers some guidelines in this area.
He addresses his ideas developmentally, and explains each developmental stage. He will talk about kids in the "concrete operational stage" which usually happens around the age of 6, but sometimes sooner, sometimes later.
I think the American Public cannot read enough about the importance of play for children of all ages.In an age where recess is being eliminated from schools in order to raise test scores, we need work like Elkind's to remind us of the importance of not overscheduling our children.
This read, where I enjoyed it, isn't my favorite book. But I like the info within, I like how it is organized, and believe whole-heartedly in the point that David Elkind is making. It is an intelligent book, and doesn't "dummy-down" to the parent. I learned quite a bit, and as a mother and and educator appreciated that most of all.
(6 reviews)
