Apropos of the NYTs frontpager on playgrounds and play, came across a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics saying that the rush-rush, overscheduled, academically stressful lives of children are preventing them from playing. The report says play isn't really playtime. In fact, "free and unstructured play is healthy and essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient." Reminds me of a phrase I heard once: "The work of children is play." In other words, there's lots of learning going on on the playground, in the activity areas of pre-k's, on the floor with Mom and Dad with building blocks.

The new report could be a hook for journalists to go into some pre-k's and kindergartens and see what kids are doing and asking teachers how they deal with playtime. Some might talk about the pressure to make their schools more academic. That would likely to be the case in Mobile, Alabama. Such a story could use the new report as a hook. The report is called "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds" and can be found here.