Welcome to Episode 32 of The Darlington Podcast! 

In this episode, host Stefan Eady, assistant head of school for academic resources, talks with Pre-K to 8 Director Hope Jones about the power of play and, specifically, why play is critical to a child's development and learning process. In fact, when Darlington overhauled its daily schedule several years ago, this idea of creating more time for inquiry, exploration and ownership of learning was at the center of the process, and Hope shares why strategically balancing both structured and unstructured play creates a healthy environment for learning. 

In the podcast, Hope mentions two of her favorite books on this topic:

"Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul" by Dr. Stuart Brown

We've all seen the happiness on the face of a child while playing in the school yard. Or the blissful abandon of a golden retriever racing across a lawn. This is the joy of play. By definition, play is purposeless, all-consuming, and fun. But as Dr. Stuart Brown illustrates, play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. We are designed by nature to flourish through play. A fascinating blend of cutting-edge neuroscience, biology, psychology, social science, and inspiring human stories of the transformative power of play, this book proves why play just might be the most important work we can ever do.

"The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children" by Dr. David Elkind

In modern childhood, free, unstructured play time is being replaced more and more by academics, lessons, competitive sports, and passive, electronic entertainment. While parents may worry that their children will be at a disadvantage if they are not engaged in constant, explicit learning or using the latest "educational" games, David Elkind's "The Power of Play" reassures us that unscheduled imaginative play goes far in preparing children for academic and social success. Through expert analysis of the research and powerful situational examples, Elkind shows that, indeed, creative spontaneous activity best sets the stage for academic learning in the first place.

Click here for complete show notes >>