Let the Children Play

According to a professional association of 67,000 pediatricians, “the lifelong success of children is based on their ability to be creative and to apply the lessons learned from playing.” But play-including physical activity, the arts, and even free play-is being eliminated in our society and schools and despite huge financial investment these education policies have not improved learning. In Let the Children Play, the authors, both fathers of school-age children, tell how switching countries — Pasi Sahlberg brought his Finnish family to the United States, while William Doyle brought his American family to Finland — shocked them into writing this book. With research breakthroughs and case histories from Finland, China, Singapore, Scotland, New York, Texas, and around the world, the authors reveal how intellectual and physical play is the ultimate engine of transforming education — the key to giving our children the well-being, happiness, and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century, including curiosity, creativity, teamwork, problem-solving, communication, and empathy. Written for parents, educators, and policymakers, this book reveals a striking vision of an inspiring future of our children’s education-and how to make it happen.