Why Mother Nature motivates our children to play in emotionally exciting ways. In play, children practice many skills that are crucial for healthy development.  They practice physical and manual skills, intellectual skills, and social skills. I have written about all of this in previous posts.  They also practice emotional skills. In play, […]

For good biological reasons, children want & need to move beyond their parents. Published on July 20, 2013 by Peter Gray in Freedom to Learn I’m all for natural parenting.  The basic premise of such parenting, at least as I view it, is that you trust your children’s instincts and judgments. For example, you […]

By Peter Gray The monsters under the bed are real. Infants and young children in our culture regularly protest going to bed.  They make all sorts of excuses. They say they are not tired, when in fact they obviously are tired. They say they are hungry, or thirsty, or need to […]

Kindergarten and preschool teachers everywhere are struggling to preserve play. by Peter Gray The war against childhood continues.  Children are no longer generally free to roam, play, and explore on their own, as they were in the past and are designed by nature to do (here). Parents who allow such play are being arrested (here andhere(link is external)).  […]