The Serious Work of Play

By Peter Herzberg

Watch a group of young children at play, and you’ll see the essence of human connection on display: collaboration in progress, creative problem-solving, the early flickers of empathy — and, inevitably, conflict. A disagreement over a turn on the swing, a debate about where to dig a hole, or the way one child reacts to another’s hurt—these are the earliest lessons in how to be human. They are, in fact, the f irst drafts of adulthood.

It’s important to distinguish this kind of living, embodied play— especially outdoors—from the digital play that defines so much of childhood today. I am not a full luddite, and I recognize the value of digital play; but, the connective tissue of empathy, negotiation, and perspective-taking is often missing in this remote context. Authentic