The History of Children’s Play in the United States

Question 1

Play in Early America

• W over P
• Siblings
• P was SS
• Tri-racial
• Puritans

PS : outdoors
PP : siblings, children from community
PM : imported & improvised toys

Answer 1

General Points :
- Work valued over play
- Lots of families with many kids caused siblings to be a significant part of play
- Play was sex segregated
- Large tri-racial makeup of societies – children played in mix-raced groups
- New England puritans believed play meant being unproductive

Play Points :
- Play sites: outdoors (fields, forests, ponds etc)
- Playmates: siblings/family, unstructured community play
- Play materials: imported dolls for the wealthy, improvised toys for the poor (corn dolls, household utensils etc)

Question 2

Play in Early 19th Century

• Random objects
• Christian Duty
• Risk & obediance
• Structured play

PS : indoors/outdoor spaces
PP : same sex, siblings, not racially seg till 10
PM : hoops, dolls, household items

Answer 2

General Points :
- Formal toys were scarce so random objects were used
- The belief that play should promote christian duty
- Risk & autonomy as well as obedience and restraint were a part of play
- Structured play became more acceptable

Play Points :
- Play sites : inside the house (attics, cellars, bedrooms etc) & nature (barns, fields, woods etc)
- Playmates : siblings/other relatives, sex segregated, not race segregated until age 10
- Play materials : hoops, sleds, dolls that they made, household items

Question 3

Play in Late 19th Century

• Neighborhoods
• Unstructured play
• Risk taking
• Urban industrial society
• SS & Age based

PS : streets, lampposts
PP : same sex/age
PM : advanced toys and improvised objects

Answer 3

General Points :
- Neighborhood spaces were used to play which increased hazards
- Children used self-structured play to explore their environment which included risk taking behavior ( ex : climbing trees etc)
- Psychology and education experts urged children to be shielded from the harmful influences of urban-industrial society
- Sheltering kids in schools and playgrounds became the goal

Play Points :
- Play sites: paved streets, telephone poles, fire hydrants, and fences
- Playmates : Age based and same-sex peer groups emerged
- Play Materials: toys become more technologically advanced but kids still used objects from nature for improvised playthings

Question 4

Golden Age of Play

• Adult supervision
• Felt controlled
• Defied parents
• Pretend play
• SS across cultures

PS : Home and no playgrounds
PP : Same sex
PM : movies, comics, toys to prep for adulth.

Answer 4

General Points :
- Children engaged in play under adult supervision to keep them out of danger
- Children felt controlled by parents
- Children became deviant to keep things from their parents
- Dolls and games became popular but kids were more interested in pretend play
- Sex-segregated play became prominent across cultures

Play Points :
- Play sites: the home–children couldn’t use playgrounds due to adult intervention
- Playmates: same sex play partners
- Play materials: movies, comics, toys that would prepare them for adulthood (which children rejected)

Question 5

Commercialization and Co-optation of Children’s Play

• Parental control
• Child abuse & polio
• Defiance

PS : Home and child centers
PP : Same sex & peers from school/clubs
PM : Indoor toys and computer games

Answer 5

General Points :
- Parents wanted control over their children’s play and so they would put them into clubs and sports
- Wanted control to keep them safe because of child abuse and polio
- Whenever possible kids would engage in defiance
- They would play in restricted areas and would use tools they weren’t supposed to use

Play Points :
- Play Sites: Indoors (at home) or child entertainment centers
- Play materials: Indoor toys, rise of Mattel toy company, computer games
- Play partners: Still very sex segregated play especially in late teen years, peers from school and/or clubs