Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/playing-to-learn-at-the-strong-national-museum-of-play/5025839/
*Photos can be found in the pdf version of this article.
The Strong teaches parents and children how to play together. Parents who accompany their children to The Strong have a chance to discover something about themselves.”
—Lella Gandini, United States liaison for the Reggio Emilia approach
Recreation centers sat empty, unused. Playgrounds no longer rang with the sounds of children laughing. Sport complexes lay dormant, the grass untouched. Family museums and concert halls closed their doors. Places associated with joy and learning became places to avoid in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. And play—like so many other parts of our lives—was disrupted.
But despite these challenges, play persisted in 2020. It found new ways to engage and new platforms. At times, it even harkened back to the past. Monopoly sets graced the kitchen table again when family game nights returned. Sidewalk chalk danced across driveways at a feverish pace. Friends gathered on Zoom or FaceTime for trivia nights. Museums and play centers welcomed guests virtually.
If anything, 2020 taught us that play is more important than ever. While many may have thought of play as a frivolous children’s activity, its mental and educational benefits were ...