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譯文：
What would childhood be without time to play? Play, it turns out, is essential to growing up healthy. Research shows that active, creative play benefits just about every aspect of child development.
"Play is behavior that looks as if it has no purpose, says NIH psychologist Dr. Stephen Suomi. It looks like fun, but it actually prepares for a complex social world. Evidence suggests that play can help boost brain function, increase fitness, improve coordination and teach cooperation.
Suomi notes that all mammals—from mice to humans—engage in some sort of play. His research focuses on rhesus monkeys. While he’s cautious about drawing parallels between monkeys and people, his studies offer some general insights into the benefits of play.
Active, vigorous social play during development helps to sculpt the monkey brain. The brain grows larger. Connections between brain areas may strengthen. Play also helps monkey youngsters learn how to fit into their social group, which may range from 30 to 200 monkeys in 3 or 4 extended families.
Both monkeys and humans live in highly complex social structures, says Suomi. Through play, rhesus monkeys learn to negotiate, to deal with strangers, to lose gracefully, to stop before things get out of hand, and to follow rules, he says. These lessons prepare monkey youngsters for life after they leave their mothers.
Play may have similar effects in the human brain. Play can help lay a foundation for learning the skills we need for social interactions. If human youngsters lack playtime, says Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, an infant language expert at the University of Delaware, social skills will likely suffer. You will lack the ability to inhibit impulses, to switch tasks easily and to play on your own. Play helps young children master their emotions and make their own decisions. It also teaches flexibility, motivation and confidence.
Kids don’t need expensive toys to get a lot out of playtime. Parents are children’s most enriching plaything, says Golinkoff. Playing and talking to babies and children are vital for their language development. Golinkoff says that kids who talk with their parents tend to acquire a vocabulary that will later help them in school. In those with parents who make a lot of demands, language is less well developed, she says. The key is not to take over the conversation, or you’ll shut it down.
Unstructured, creative, physical play lets children burn calories and develops all kinds of strengths, such as learning how the world works. In free play, children choose the games, make the rules, learn to negotiate and release stress. Free play often involves fantasy. If children, say, want to learn about being a fireman, they can imagine and act out what a fireman does. And if something scary happens, free play can help defuse emotions by working them out.
Sports are a kind of play, but it’s not the kids calling the shots, says Golinkoff. It’s important to engage in a variety of activities, including physical play, social play and solitary play. The key is that in free play, kids are making the decisions, says Golinkoff. You can’t learn to make decisions if you’re always told what to do.
Some experts fear that free play is becoming endangered. In the last 2 decades, children have lost an average of 8 hours of free play per week. As media screens draw kids indoors, hours of sitting raise the risk for obesity and related diseases. When it comes to video games and other media, parents should monitor content, especially violent content, and limit the amount of time children sit.
There’s also been a national trend toward eliminating school recess. It’s being pushed aside for academic study, including standardized test preparation. Thousands of children have lost recess altogether, says child development expert Dr. Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek of Temple University. Lack of recess has important consequences for young children who concentrate better when they come inside after a break from the schoolwork.
Many kids, especially those in low-income areas, lack access to safe places to play. This makes their school recess time even more precious. In response to these changes, some educators are now insisting that preschool and elementary school children have regular periods of active, free play with other children. The type of learning that happens during playtime is not always possible in the classroom. School recess is also important because of the growing number of obese children in the United States. Running around during recess can help kids stay at a healthy weight.
Play also may offer advantages within the classroom. In an NIH-funded study, Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff and their colleagues found a link between preschoolers’ math skills and their ability to copy models of 2- and 3-dimensional building-block constructions. Play with building blocks—and block play alongside adults—can help build children’s spatial skills so they can get an early start toward the later study of science, technology, engineering or math.
In a way, a child is becoming a young scientist, checking out how the world works, says Hirsh-Pasek. We never outgrow our need to play. Older children, including teens, also need to play and daydream, which helps their problem-solving and creative imagination. Adults, too, need their breaks, physical activity and social interaction.
At the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Recreation therapy services are seen as essential to the patients’ recovery, says Donna Gregory, chief of recreational therapy. She and her team tailor activities for both children and adults. Games can get patients moving, even for just minutes at a time, which improves their functioning.
Medical play helps children cope with invasive procedures. A 2-year-old can be distracted with blowing bubbles; older kids can place their teddy bear in the MRI machine or give their doll a shot before they themselves get an injection. It gives kids a sense of control and supports their understanding in an age-appropriate, meaningful way.
Without play and recreation, people can become isolated and depressed. There’s therapeutic value in helping patients maintain what’s important to them, says Gregory. When you are physically and socially active, it gives life meaning.
如果童年時期沒有時間玩耍，那可真是糟糕透瞭。
事實證明，遊戲對於兒童的健康成長是必不可少的。研究表明，積極而富於創造性的玩耍對於兒童發展的各個方面都大有好處。
美國國立衛生研究院的心理學傢斯蒂芬·蘇米博士說：兒童遊戲看起來像是一些沒有什麼目的活動，看起來很有趣，但是實際上，兒童遊戲是他們為以後進入復雜的社會進行的準備。有證據表明，遊戲有助於促進大腦功能，強身健體，提高肢體動作的協調性，培養兒童與他人合作的能力。
蘇米註意到，從老鼠到人類的所有的哺乳動物幼崽，都有某些遊戲行為。他側重研究獼猴的行為。盡管他對猴子和人類在行為上的相似性持謹慎態度，他的研究發現還是可以幫助我們更好地瞭解兒童遊戲的好處。
小獼猴成長過程中活躍而充分的社會遊戲，有助於它們大腦的發育，使它們的大腦變得更大，強化瞭各腦區之間的連接。玩耍也有助於小猴學習如何融入猴群社會，猴群社會一般由3到4個大傢庭組成，小的猴群有30多隻猴子，最大的猴群可以有200多隻猴子。
蘇米說，猴子和人類都生活在結構高度復雜的社會裡。通過玩耍，小猴學會瞭討價還價，學會瞭如何與其他陌生的猴子打交道，學會瞭打架輸瞭也要有尊嚴，學會瞭適可而止，該收手時就收手，學會瞭遵守猴群裡的遊戲規則。這些經驗為小猴離開母親以後的生活做好瞭準備。
美國特拉華大學的嬰兒語言專傢羅伯塔·葛林可夫博士說，遊戲對人類大腦的發育可能有類似的效果。遊戲可以幫助我們奠定今後學習社會交往技能的基礎。如果人類的青少年缺乏玩耍時間，你的社交技巧可能會比較差。你將缺乏抑制沖動的能力，你從一種活動換到另一種活動時比較困難，你不太會自己一個人玩。遊戲幫助青少年兒童掌握自己的情緒，幫助他們自己作出決定，培養他們的靈活性和積極性，使他們更有自信心。
葛林可夫說，孩子們遊戲的時候不需要用很貴重的玩具，也能獲益很多。傢長是孩子們最好的玩伴。傢長一邊跟嬰幼兒玩耍，一邊跟他們交談，對他們的語言發展至關重要。那些與他們的父母交談比較多的孩子們，往往能更好地掌握語言詞匯，有助於他們以後在學校的學習。那些父母很忙，沒有多少時間跟他們玩的孩子，語言能力就會不那麼發達， 她說，這裡的關鍵是如果父母不能多花時間跟孩子談話，孩子長大以後，語言表達能力就差，像個啞巴似的。
非刻意組織的，創造性的，消耗體力的遊戲，讓孩子燃燒卡路裡，開發鍛煉各種身體技能，更好地瞭解外部世界是怎麼運行的。在無拘無束地遊戲裡，孩子們自己選擇玩法，制定遊戲規則，學習談判技巧，釋放緊張壓力。在自由的遊戲裡，往往可以天馬行空般地幻想。如果他們想瞭解消防員的工作，就可以按自己的想象，模仿消防員的英雄行動。如果發生瞭什麼可怕的事情，他們也能自由地化解緊張的情緒。
體育也是一種遊戲，但它不是由孩子們自己主導的那種，葛林可夫說。重要的是要參與到各種各樣的活動中來，包括體育的遊戲，社會的遊戲和自己一個人玩的遊戲。最關鍵的是在自由遊戲中，是孩子們在主導著這些遊戲，他們自己作出一切決定，葛林可夫說，如果你總是被動地接受別人的命令，你永遠無法學會如何做出決定。[長大瞭也是個奴隸嗎？或者是飯來張口的永遠的大小孩？]
現在一些專傢擔心，孩子們的自由遊戲，已經像瀕危物種一樣少見瞭。在過去二十年中，孩子們每周的自由遊戲時間已經減少瞭8個小時。各種媒體的屏幕把孩子們吸引到室內。孩子們連續坐著好幾個小時，提高瞭患肥胖癥及相關疾病的風險。如果涉及到視頻遊戲和其他媒體的話，除瞭限制孩子們連續坐在屏幕前的時間以外，傢長們還應該關註其內容，避免色情暴力的東西。
現在全國上下也有一種要取消學校課間休息活動時間的趨勢。繁重的課堂學習以及為標準化考試進行準備的壓力，讓課間活動無暇進行。坦普爾大學的兒童發展專傢凱瑟琳-赫什-帕斯克博士說：數以千計的兒童已經完全沒有瞭課間休息活動。缺乏課間休息活動的後果很嚴重。小孩子課間休息活動以後，再回到教室，上課就能更好地集中精力。
許多孩子，尤其是在那些低收入地區的小孩，缺乏安全的地方玩耍。這使得他們在學校的課間休息時間更難得而珍貴。為瞭應對這些變化，現在一些教育工作者堅持認為，幼兒園和小學的兒童必須要有固定的遊戲時間，以便與其他孩子自由地玩耍。在玩耍過程中學習到的本事，不一定能夠在教室裡學到。因為美國的肥胖兒童越來越多，學校課間休息玩耍就變得愈來愈重要瞭。課間休息時跑來跑去，可以幫助孩子們保持健康的體型。
課堂遊戲也很有好處。在一項美國國立衛生研究院資助的研究中，赫什·帕斯克·葛林可夫和他的同事發現，學齡前兒童的數學技能和玩2維，3維積木的能力之間有聯系。搭積木遊戲，尤其是跟成年人一起玩搭積木的遊戲，可以幫助孩子建立起空間技能，使他們可以較早地開始後來的科學，技術，工程和數學的學習。
赫什-帕斯克說：從某種程度上講，每個孩子都是一位天生的年輕科學傢，他研究世界上萬事萬物如何運行。我們從未因為長大瞭，而失去遊戲的需要。較大一點的兒童，包括青少年，也需要遊戲和遐想，這有助於他們解決問題的能力和創造性的想象。成年人也需要遊戲，以便休息，進行體育活動和社會交往。
在馬裡蘭州貝塞斯達的美國國立衛生研究院臨床中心，首席康樂治療師唐娜·格雷戈裡說：康樂治療服務對於病人健康的恢復是必不可少的。 她和她的團隊為兒童和成年人分別設計瞭不同的遊戲活動。遊戲可以讓病人動起來，哪怕是隻有幾分鐘的活動，也能提高他們的體能。
醫療遊戲幫助孩子正確對待侵入性治療。 2歲的孩子可以用吹泡泡的方法來分散註意力，年長一點的孩子，可以讓他們帶著自己心愛的泰迪熊，一起進入MRI機器進行檢查。在給小孩子打針以前，可以讓他們玩給自己的洋娃娃打針的遊戲。這樣做可以讓孩子們有一種控制感，隨著他們年齡的增長，更好地理解周圍的世界。
如果沒有遊戲和娛樂，人們會感到孤立而沮喪。格雷戈裡說：遊戲和娛樂幫助病人保持那些他們認為有價值而重要的東西。當你進行體育和社交活動時，你會感到你的生命很有意義。
Tags:周焯華,洗米華
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