ON BOYS Podcast Teacher Tom on Connections & Play-Based Learning
Teacher Tom says “kids haven’t changed at all” over recent decades.
“Kids still need freedom to play, to follow their own curiosity,to ask and answer questions,and to learn how to get along with other people,” he says.
Nurturing Kids & Building Connections
The first five years of a child’s life “should be about how to live with these complicated things called emotions,” Tom says.
Children also need time and space to navigate emotions and social interactions. But “too often, we step in too soon,” Tom says. When adults hear bickering, arguing, or tears, they frequently step in and problem solve for the kids — which can adversely affect child development.
“We rob them of the chance to learn that basic skill of self-governance and self-control,” Tom says. Give the kids time. Left to their own devices, kids often come up with innovative solutions.
Links we mentioned (or should have) in this episode:
Teacher Tom — Tom’s blog
Teacher Tom’s World — includes links to Teacher Tom’s courses, books, & speaking events
Teacher Tom Talks About Boys, Emotions, & Play — ON BOYS episode
The Gardener & the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents & Children, by Alison Gopnik — book mentioned by Teacher Tom
The Link Between Freedom & Video Games — BuildingBoys post
Why You Need to Stop Focusing on Your Boys’ Bickering — BuildingBoys post
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Harari — book mentioned by Teacher Tom
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