The Anxious Generation with Jonathan Haidt
Good Inside with Dr. Becky
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The Importance of Play in Child Development
Play is crucial in child development as it allows children to learn through experiences such as building, interacting with animals, and socializing with other children without constant adult supervision. The most beneficial play includes mixed-age groups outdoors, with some level of risk involved, as fear can make activities more thrilling and help in rewiring the brain to move away from fear towards competence. Pretend play is also valuable even though it lacks physical risk. However, activities like video games, while playful and exciting, do not provide the same beneficial elements of physical play due to the absence of the fear element, which is essential for brain rewiring and developing real-world skills in children.
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