DeepSummary
The podcast episode features an interview with Tammy Schmoon, a child psychologist and co-founder of the Institute of Child Psychology. Tammy discusses the importance of play for children's development, explaining that play allows children to work through issues they're facing in real life through projection. She emphasizes the benefits of unstructured, child-led play and advises parents not to overschedule their children with too many organized activities.
Tammy highlights the differences in play between boys and girls, noting that boys tend to engage in more physical, roughhousing play due to biological factors like higher testosterone levels. She encourages parents to allow their children, especially boys, to engage in this type of play as it helps them establish social hierarchies and work through emotions. Tammy also stresses the importance of letting children experience boredom, as it promotes creativity and problem-solving skills.
Throughout the conversation, Tammy emphasizes that play can take many forms and doesn't necessarily require parents to actively participate in imaginary play scenarios. Instead, she suggests involving children in everyday tasks like cooking, gardening, and chores, which can also be considered a form of play through parallel play. The overall message is for parents to relax and not overthink or overschedule their children's play, as unstructured play is crucial for healthy child development.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Unstructured, child-led play is crucial for healthy child development and allows children to work through issues they're facing.
- Parents should avoid overscheduling their children with too many organized activities and allow time for boredom and unstructured play.
- There are biological differences between boys and girls when it comes to play, with boys tending to engage in more physical, roughhousing play.
- Play can take many forms, including involving children in everyday tasks like cooking, gardening, and chores (parallel play).
- Boredom is beneficial for children as it promotes creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Parents don't necessarily need to actively participate in imaginary play scenarios, as children often prefer to lead and direct the play themselves.
- Play is a language for children, allowing them to express themselves and work through emotions and experiences.
- Parents should relax and not overthink or overschedule their children's play, as unstructured play is essential for healthy development.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “It's actually having the opposite effect that we want it to. It's actually causing a lot of overwhelm for our kids because all mammals are naturally meant to just play and then rest. And we've kind of robbed kids of that, of their childhood a little bit inadvertently because of social media and our friends. Our close circles are saying, do more, do more. And the children's nervous systems are saying, do less, do less, do less.“ by Tammy Schmoon
- “Boredom is really good for your brain.“ by Tammy Schmoon
- “So the idea is the child is using their imagination, that that child doesn't feel any pressure to do this. It comes from we would call, like, an internal locus of control and internal motivation that they are taking their experiences and they are trying to figure out the world through their imagination or through experimentation, like even riding a bike or climbing a tree or mucking around in the creek or playing in the sand.“ by Tammy Schmoon
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Episode Information
The PedsDocTalk Podcast
Dr. Mona Amin
6/12/24