Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and researcher, dives into the vital role of unstructured play in child development. He highlights how Finland’s education system emphasizes play over standardized testing, leading to happier and more successful students. Sahlberg discusses alarming trends in U.S. playtime due to academic pressures and structured activities. He argues that unstructured outdoor play enhances creativity, decision-making, and essential social skills, urging parents and schools to prioritize free play for healthier childhood experiences.
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insights INSIGHT
Less Playtime
Parents report their children play less now than they did.
Around 90% of parents say their kids play less than they did at the same age.
insights INSIGHT
Recess Decline
Recess in US schools declined due to standardized testing and safety concerns.
Increased accountability for academic standards led to less focus on recess.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Recess Coaches
Some schools now have "recess coaches" who structure play activities.
This structured approach differs from traditional free play.
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In *Let the Children Play*, Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle argue that play is essential for children's development, fostering skills like creativity, innovation, and teamwork. They present research from around the world, highlighting successful play-based educational experiments. The book serves as both a call for change and a guide for implementing play in schools.
In Finland, children don't start formal schooling until age seven, aren't subject to standardized testing, and always get at least one hour of physical activity a day, broken into 15-minute free-play breaks every hour, which take place outside no matter the weather. Finnish parents and teachers espouse mantras like, "Let children be children," "The children must play," and "The work of a child is to play." Yet despite this emphasis on play, Finnish students still achieve enviable academic outcomes, and grow up to become some of the happiest adults on earth.
My guest today says that the Finnish model of education and parenting, with its heavy emphasis on play, is worth replicating in other countries. His name is Pasi Sahlberg and he's a Finnish educator and researcher currently living in Australia, as well as the co-author, along with William Doyle, of the book Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive. Pasi begins our conversation by sharing what the data says as to how much less kids are playing today than they did in the past, and the factors that have led to this decrease both at school and at home. We discuss the fact that even the play kids do now engage in is more structured and adult-directed, even sometimes involving something called a "recess coach," and how this has led to the sad phenomenon of children who no longer know how to play on their own. We then discuss what is lost when kids don't play enough, from a decline in physical and mental confidence to a decrease in creativity. We end our conversation with the elements of healthy play that educators and parents who want to revive it can look to incorporate in their children's lives.
The Art of Manliness 