American Academy of Pediatrics Suggests “Prescriptions for Play” for Children Ages Two Years and Younger
In August 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a paper that includes a “prescription for play” for children ages 2 years and younger.
For those who are unsure what “play” might be, AAP offers the following general definition:
The definition of play is elusive. However, there is a growing consensus that it is an activity that is intrinsically motivated, entails active engagement, and results in joyful discovery. Play is voluntary and often has no extrinsic goals; it is fun and often spontaneous. Children are often seen actively engaged in and passionately engrossed in play; this builds executive functioning skills and contributes to school readiness (bored children will not learn well). Play often creates an imaginative private reality, contains elements of make believe, and is nonliteral.
The paper, entitled, “The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children,” actually includes the suggestion for pediatricians to defend play by formally prescribing it as part of the child’s wellness visit:
Just as pediatricians support Reach Out and Read, encourage playful learning for parents and infants by writing a “prescription for play” at every well-child visit in the first 2 years of life.
Below is a summary of the takeaways from the paper, which is not restricted to children two years and younger, including confronting “more digital distractions,” and “facilitating the child’s intrinsic motivation through play rather than extrinsic motivations, such as test scores”:
Conclusions