Robin Marantz Henig’s timely article “Why Do We Play?” (New York Times Magazine, February 17, 2008) highlights the consensus among a variety of experts that play has a neurological effect on children’s brain growth. However, in addition to studying the act of playing, we need to look at the tools of play. Today’s kids are not only playing baseball and dress-up in the real world; they’re also playing these games online, or infusing them with props that light up, keep score, or otherwise direct their play. If playing helps kids gain lifelong skills, how does the influence of toys embedded with technology affect that skill building? Is nurturing an avatar the same as feeding a baby doll? Is a playdate still a social interaction when it’s played online? Are handhelds rewarding kids who think quickly, rather than critically?  If we want to raise our next generation to be innovators who know how to play in— as well as out— of the box, we need to question how today’s toys are shaping tomorrow’s thinkers.

Claire Green 
Wendy Smolen
Co-founders, Sandbox Summit