It was a warm July in 2008 when I headed to Wheelock College in Boston for the International Froebel Society’s biennial conference. I was thrilled to be surrounded by so many passionate Froebel enthusiasts, swapping ideas and inspiration. My dear friend and colleague, Dr. Kayla Rollins (née Braziel), and I had traveled together from Texas to New England to present our research, “Play Decisions and Interactions in a Children’s Museum: Who Decides?“. And while my fellow Curating Play partner, Dr. Sharon Jackson, didn’t travel with us, it was wonderful catching up with her there to share a meal and compare notes on all the insights unfolding around us!
So many wonderful opportunities and memories were created during the conference, including the opportunity to hear Dr. David Elkind speak. As a renowned child psychologist and advocate for play-based learning, his words cut right to the heart of what I’ve seen in my years of research, teaching, and advocacy efforts. David painted a sobering picture of how children’s play and toys have shifted in ways that don’t always serve our little ones best. He talked about the rise of highly commercialized toys—flashy, media-tied characters and gadgets that come with predefined stories, sounds, and scripts. Instead of sparking a child’s own imagination, these toys often direct play toward passive repetition or consumerism, leaving little room for kids to invent their own worlds.
David lamented how modern playthings, overloaded with technology and branding, can silence that innate curiosity and fantasy that Froebel himself celebrated so deeply. In contrast, David reminded us of the power in simpler, open-ended materials–like the warmth of wooden blocks or natural fabrics–that invite endless creativity and child-led discovery. Too many toys today, he suggested, overwhelm children, fostering habits of quick distraction rather than deep, imaginative engagement. And with the push toward “educational” gadgets that promise quick skills but deliver limited true growth, play risks becoming just another scripted activity instead of the joyful, spontaneous force it should be.
Hearing David Elkind that day reinforced everything for which we advocate at Curating Play. It’s why this month’s theme of rediscovering the classics feels so timely. We need to reclaim those timeless, imagination-nurturing treasures amidst all of the commercial noise. In our work with families and educators, we’ve witnessed how stepping back to basics can restore that authentic spark David described: Children directing their own play, building resilience, empathy, and wonder. As we head into this new year, let’s draw inspiration from those conference echoes and from Froebel’s enduring vision. Dust off the simple joys … a set of blocks, a doll without a backstory, or just open space for pretend … and watch the magic unfold.
