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Free To Learn: Why Unleashing The Instinct To Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, And Better Students For Life (2013)

by Peter Gray(Favorite Author)

4.31 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0465025994 (ISBN13: 9780465025992)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Basic Books

review 1: The author's experience with public schools is worse than mine, so the underlying context of schools being the enemy got in the way. However, I very much enjoyed being reminded of how important play is, and liked learning about the fascinating Sudbury Valley School model. Favorite topics included the benefits of age mixing in play, and noting the difference between parenting styles of trustful, directive-domineering, and directive-protective parents.
review 2: I agree in principle with the author's assertion that children need unstructured free play to develop their imaginations, a love of learning and the confidence to solve problems. In fact, I LOVE this idea! Therefore I am discouraged about how unlikely a fit it is in today's world. The biggest barrier to... more the author's ideal is summed up on pg 126: "children learn more together than alone." All the other kids are in school! It's very difficult to apply the hunter-gatherer play theories to the average family in our society when most other children are gone all day and the Sudbury-type environments are so few. I suppose the answer is to develop like-minded communities for your own family or move to where they are. I hope the idea of giving children lots of unstructured free time will be more valued by future generations. In my city parents plan and overschedule with the goal of making sure their children are well-rounded and don't miss any opportunities for future success. We live near all of our family in an area with no alternative school and where all my children's friends are in public school all day; so, while they aren't overscheduled, if they were home all day I think it would be hard to develop long-lasting friendships like is possible when you see other children everyday at school. Another wrinkle in the plan is that in hunter-gatherer societies people interacted within a homogeneous group with little variation in tasks/jobs required to survive. Society is more complex now and I do think there's more to learn. It's fascinating to read about the history of public education and important to be aware that the public school system is not the only option. The author obviously recommends the Sudbury school and advises families to look for a neighborhood with lots of children playing outside. Young couples who really want to provide this life for their children need to think carefully about where they want to put down roots, or they could find their kids with lots of free time but no one to spend it with. less

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