A couple of years after smartphones became popular, my friend Joyce told me a story I found troubling. She had recently been on a city bus, sitting in an aisle […]
TAKING BACK CHILDHOOD
Children’s Play in Violent Times
It’s not a stretch to connect the loss of play with the rise in mass shootings
With more than one mass shooting per day since the start of 2023, many of us are asking what causes this extreme violence, most of it perpetrated by young people. […]
TAKING BACK CHILDHOOD
Straight Talk With Young Children About Racism
Intervening in racist behavior can produce positive change
Racism is deeply rooted in American institutions and life. Children begin early on to internalize messages about race from TV shows and other screen media, toys, books, what they see […]
Taking Stock of What We’ve Done to Young Children
The pandemic gives new evidence of how play helps children cope
A friend who used to do a lot of substituting in Outer Cape schools once described a scene in a classroom for four-year-olds that was well-designed for all kinds of […]
