Pieter Brueghel, Children’s Games (1560)

David Elkind, a child psychologist at Tufts, writes about how schools around the country are hiring “recess coaches” to supervise children on the playground. He worries that a decline in “unstructured imagination time,” along with a rise in time spent with electronic media are producing more bullying on the playground.

What happens to children when they are on the playground, unsupervised? Pieter Brueghel’s answer suggests that children’s games are often violent and sadistic and that you need adults present to keep children from harm. I’m not convinced that you need the playground for “unstructured imagination time,” and the really great moments of children at play that I’ve observed have been indoors. As Friedrich Froebel pointed out, however, children do need fresh air and a chance to move around. Having an adult present makes complete sense, although I’m skeptical about professionalizing the role and creating “recess coaches.” How do you train a recess coach? I’d like to see them read Johan Huizinga’s wonderful study Homo ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27elkind.html